Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) … unit in South Korea
South Korea: Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) … unit was 0.3471 current US$ per US$ of GDP in 2023. ▲ Rising
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$), per unit in South Korea, 1960–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in current US$ per US$ of GDP.
Analysis
In 2023, merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current us$), per unit in South Korea stood at 0.3471 current US$ per US$ of GDP.
The figure is down 13.8% on the previous year and down 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current us$), per unit in South Korea peaked at 0.4029 current US$ per US$ of GDP in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.0676 current US$ per US$ of GDP, in 1960.
South Korea ranks 98th of 202 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) … unit in South Korea, year by year
| Year | current US$ per US$ of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.0676 current US$ per US$ of GDP | — |
| 1961 | 0.1186 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +75.4% |
| 1962 | 0.1412 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +19.1% |
| 1963 | 0.134 current US$ per US$ of GDP | -5.1% |
| 1964 | 0.1102 current US$ per US$ of GDP | -17.8% |
| 1965 | 0.1367 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +24.0% |
| 1966 | 0.1761 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +28.9% |
| 1967 | 0.1966 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +11.6% |
| 1968 | 0.2352 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +19.6% |
| 1969 | 0.2328 current US$ per US$ of GDP | -1.1% |
| 1970 | 0.2153 current US$ per US$ of GDP | -7.5% |
| 1971 | 0.2351 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +9.2% |
| 1972 | 0.2232 current US$ per US$ of GDP | -5.1% |
| 1973 | 0.2949 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +32.1% |
| 1974 | 0.3263 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +10.6% |
| 1975 | 0.3168 current US$ per US$ of GDP | -2.9% |
| 1976 | 0.2832 current US$ per US$ of GDP | -10.6% |
| 1977 | 0.2752 current US$ per US$ of GDP | -2.8% |
| 1978 | 0.2811 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +2.2% |
| 1979 | 0.2927 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +4.1% |
| 1980 | 0.3194 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +9.1% |
| 1981 | 0.3338 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +4.5% |
| 1982 | 0.2873 current US$ per US$ of GDP | -13.9% |
| 1983 | 0.2768 current US$ per US$ of GDP | -3.7% |
| 1984 | 0.2881 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +4.1% |
| 1985 | 0.2775 current US$ per US$ of GDP | -3.7% |
| 1986 | 0.2487 current US$ per US$ of GDP | -10.4% |
| 1987 | 0.2532 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +1.8% |
| 1988 | 0.2353 current US$ per US$ of GDP | -7.1% |
| 1989 | 0.2206 current US$ per US$ of GDP | -6.3% |
| 1990 | 0.2214 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 0.2351 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +6.2% |
| 1992 | 0.2187 current US$ per US$ of GDP | -7.0% |
| 1993 | 0.2048 current US$ per US$ of GDP | -6.4% |
| 1994 | 0.2109 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +3.0% |
| 1995 | 0.2275 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +7.8% |
| 1996 | 0.2347 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +3.2% |
| 1997 | 0.2441 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +4.0% |
| 1998 | 0.2347 current US$ per US$ of GDP | -3.9% |
| 1999 | 0.232 current US$ per US$ of GDP | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 0.2684 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +15.7% |
| 2001 | 0.2484 current US$ per US$ of GDP | -7.5% |
| 2002 | 0.2328 current US$ per US$ of GDP | -6.3% |
| 2003 | 0.2454 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +5.4% |
| 2004 | 0.2726 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +11.1% |
| 2005 | 0.2687 current US$ per US$ of GDP | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 0.2824 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +5.1% |
| 2007 | 0.2922 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +3.5% |
| 2008 | 0.3987 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +36.4% |
| 2009 | 0.3285 current US$ per US$ of GDP | -17.6% |
| 2010 | 0.3563 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +8.5% |
| 2011 | 0.401 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +12.5% |
| 2012 | 0.389 current US$ per US$ of GDP | -3.0% |
| 2013 | 0.3592 current US$ per US$ of GDP | -7.7% |
| 2014 | 0.3376 current US$ per US$ of GDP | -6.0% |
| 2015 | 0.2833 current US$ per US$ of GDP | -16.1% |
| 2016 | 0.2568 current US$ per US$ of GDP | -9.4% |
| 2017 | 0.2759 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +7.4% |
| 2018 | 0.2919 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +5.8% |
| 2019 | 0.2858 current US$ per US$ of GDP | -2.1% |
| 2020 | 0.2664 current US$ per US$ of GDP | -6.8% |
| 2021 | 0.3149 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +18.2% |
| 2022 | 0.4029 current US$ per US$ of GDP | +27.9% |
| 2023 | 0.3471 current US$ per US$ of GDP | -13.8% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 0.3471 current US$ per US$ of GDP is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.3301 current US$ per US$ of GDP, 1.1× the median. (73 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 0.3471 current US$ per US$ of GDP is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.4314 current US$ per US$ of GDP, 80% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) … unit in South Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | +75.4% | 0.0676 current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.1186 current US$ per US$ of GDP |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.1549 current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.0676 current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.2352 current US$ per US$ of GDP | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.2744 current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.2153 current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.3263 current US$ per US$ of GDP | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.2741 current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.2206 current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.3338 current US$ per US$ of GDP | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2264 current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.2048 current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.2441 current US$ per US$ of GDP | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2838 current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.2328 current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.3987 current US$ per US$ of GDP | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3237 current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.2568 current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.401 current US$ per US$ of GDP | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3328 current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.2664 current US$ per US$ of GDP | 0.4029 current US$ per US$ of GDP | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 95 Jamaica 0.3542 current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
- 96 Mexico 0.3531 current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
- 97 Ukraine 0.3504 current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
- 99 Laos 0.3453 current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
- 100 Uzbekistan 0.3347 current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
- 101 Sweden 0.333 current US$ per US$ of GDP compare
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 merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current us$), per unit in South Korea?
- Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current us$), per unit in South Korea was 0.3471 current US$ per US$ of GDP in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current us$), per unit recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 0.4029 current US$ per US$ of GDP in 2022.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current us$), per unit recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0676 current US$ per US$ of GDP in 1960.
- How does South Korea rank for merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current us$), per unit?
- South Korea ranks 98th out of 202 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current us$), per unit rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$), per unit of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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How this figure is calculated
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) divided by GDP (current US$), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) ÷ GDP (current US$)
Computed from
- Merchandise imports by the reporting economy Staff estimates, World Bank (WB)
- GDP Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) divided by GDP (current US$), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.