International tourism, expenditures (% of total imports) in South Korea
South Korea: International tourism, expenditures (% of total imports) was 3.1% in 2020. ▬ Flat
International tourism, expenditures in South Korea, 1995–2020
Source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism. Measured in % of total imports.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 3.1% for international tourism, expenditures in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.
That represents a change of down 47.2% on the previous year and down 24.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourism, expenditures in South Korea peaked at 6.2% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 3.1%, in 2020.
South Korea ranks 107th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
International tourism, expenditures (% of total imports) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % of total imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 4.6% | — |
| 1996 | 4.8% | +6.1% |
| 1997 | 4.8% | -1.4% |
| 1998 | 3.6% | -24.9% |
| 1999 | 4.0% | +12.6% |
| 2000 | 4.2% | +5.1% |
| 2001 | 4.9% | +15.9% |
| 2002 | 6.2% | +27.1% |
| 2003 | 5.2% | -16.9% |
| 2004 | 5.1% | -2.5% |
| 2005 | 5.4% | +7.2% |
| 2006 | 5.6% | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 5.6% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 4.1% | -26.4% |
| 2009 | 4.1% | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 4.1% | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 3.4% | -17.3% |
| 2012 | 3.5% | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 3.8% | +9.2% |
| 2014 | 4.1% | +7.7% |
| 2015 | 5.2% | +28.5% |
| 2016 | 5.9% | +12.4% |
| 2017 | 5.8% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 5.9% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 5.8% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 3.1% | -47.2% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 3.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 3.7%, 84% of the median. (65 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 3.1% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.6%, 67% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.4% | 3.6% | 4.8% | 5 |
| 2000s | 5.1% | 4.1% | 6.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.7% | 3.4% | 5.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.1% | 3.1% | 3.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More private sector data for South Korea
- Merchandise trade 71.6% (2025)
- Food imports 6.5% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 62.1% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 631.89 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 183.44 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 1.7% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 88.0% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 709.33 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 149.31 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 13,724 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, expenditures in South Korea?
- International tourism, expenditures in South Korea was 3.1% in 2020, according to Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
- What is the highest international tourism, expenditures recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 6.2% in 2002.
- What is the lowest international tourism, expenditures recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.1% in 2020.
- How does South Korea rank for international tourism, expenditures?
- South Korea ranks 107th out of 186 countries with data for 2020.
- Is international tourism, expenditures rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism, published as part of International tourism, expenditures (% of total imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
International tourism expenditures are expenditures of international outbound visitors in other countries, including payments to foreign carriers for international transport. These expenditures may include those by residents traveling abroad as same-day visitors, except in cases where these are important enough to justify separate classification. For some countries they do not include expenditures for passenger transport items. Their share in imports is calculated as a ratio to imports of goods and services, which comprise all transactions between residents of a country and the rest of the world involving a change of ownership from nonresidents to residents of general merchandise, goods sent for processing and repairs, nonmonetary gold, and services.