EASTERN ASIA

South Korea

Seoul · pop. 51M · Korean · South Korean won

Trajectories

economic complexity

Climbing the complexity rankings, from #21 in 1995.

2024 · 1.60

Harvard Growth Lab · thin line is the world’s median

the numbers30

when	value	change
1995low	1.10
1996	1.14	+0.04 pts
1997	1.16	+0.02 pts
1998	1.15	−0.01 pts
1999	1.16	+0.01 pts
2000	1.29	+0.13 pts
2001	1.34	+0.05 pts
2002	1.39	+0.06 pts
2003	1.44	+0.04 pts
2004	1.46	+0.02 pts
2005	1.45	−0.01 pts
2006	1.51	+0.07 pts
2007	1.56	+0.04 pts
2008	1.52	−0.03 pts
2009	1.56	+0.04 pts
2010	1.62	+0.06 pts
2011	1.69	+0.07 pts
2012	1.62	−0.06 pts
2013	1.66	+0.03 pts
2014	1.70	+0.04 pts
2015	1.75	+0.05 pts
2016	1.79	+0.04 pts
2017	1.75	−0.03 pts
2018	1.80	+0.04 pts
2019high	1.81	+0.01 pts
2020	1.78	−0.03 pts
2021	1.77	−0.01 pts
2022	1.77	0 pts
2023	1.72	−0.05 pts
2024latest	1.60	−0.12 pts

economic momentum

$36.2K

Tripled since 2000. GDP per head in 2024, in current US dollars.

2024 · $36.2K

World Bank · thin line is the world’s median

the numbers35

when	value	change
1990low	$6,813
1991	$7,873	+15.6%
1992	$8,387	+6.5%
1993	$9,180	+9.5%
1994	$10.7K	+16.9%
1995	$13.0K	+21.1%
1996	$13.9K	+6.6%
1997	$12.8K	−7.5%
1998	$8,583	−33.1%
1999	$11.1K	+28.9%
2000	$12.7K	+14.9%
2001	$12.0K	−5.7%
2002	$13.6K	+13.9%
2003	$15.2K	+11.5%
2004	$17.1K	+12.6%
2005	$20.2K	+17.8%
2006	$22.6K	+12.1%
2007	$25.1K	+10.9%
2008	$22.3K	−11.3%
2009	$19.9K	−10.4%
2010	$24.1K	+20.7%
2011	$26.2K	+8.7%
2012	$26.6K	+1.6%
2013	$28.4K	+7.0%
2014	$30.7K	+7.8%
2015	$30.2K	−1.6%
2016	$30.8K	+2.2%
2017	$33.3K	+8.0%
2018	$35.4K	+6.2%
2019	$33.8K	−4.3%
2020	$33.6K	−0.5%
2021high	$37.5K	+11.5%
2022	$34.8K	−7.2%
2023	$35.7K	+2.4%
2024latest	$36.2K	+1.6%

prices

2.3%

A year’s rise in consumer prices, in 2024. The world’s median was 3.1%.

2024 · 2.3%

World Bank · thin line is the world’s median

the numbers35

when	value	change
1990	8.6%
1991high	9.3%	+0.76 pts
1992	6.2%	−3.12 pts
1993	4.8%	−1.41 pts
1994	6.3%	+1.46 pts
1995	4.5%	−1.79 pts
1996	4.9%	+0.44 pts
1997	4.4%	−0.49 pts
1998	7.5%	+3.07 pts
1999	0.8%	−6.70 pts
2000	2.3%	+1.45 pts
2001	4.1%	+1.81 pts
2002	2.8%	−1.30 pts
2003	3.5%	+0.75 pts
2004	3.6%	+0.08 pts
2005	2.8%	−0.84 pts
2006	2.2%	−0.51 pts
2007	2.5%	+0.29 pts
2008	4.7%	+2.14 pts
2009	2.8%	−1.92 pts
2010	2.9%	+0.18 pts
2011	4.0%	+1.09 pts
2012	2.2%	−1.84 pts
2013	1.3%	−0.89 pts
2014	1.3%	−0.03 pts
2015	0.7%	−0.57 pts
2016	1.0%	+0.27 pts
2017	1.9%	+0.97 pts
2018	1.5%	−0.47 pts
2019low	0.4%	−1.09 pts
2020	0.5%	+0.15 pts
2021	2.5%	+1.96 pts
2022	5.1%	+2.59 pts
2023	3.6%	−1.49 pts
2024latest	2.3%	−1.28 pts

demographic curve

0.7 children per woman

Far below replacement: rapid ageing ahead. Fell from 2.8 in 1980.

2024 · 0.7

World Bank · thin line is the world’s median · rule marks replacement (2.1)

the numbers65

when	value	change
1960high	6.0
1961	5.8	−3.2%
1962	5.6	−4.2%
1963	5.3	−4.1%
1964	5.1	−5.0%
1965	4.9	−3.6%
1966	4.8	−2.1%
1967	4.6	−3.5%
1968	4.5	−2.3%
1969	4.4	−1.4%
1970	4.5	+1.9%
1971	4.5	+0.2%
1972	4.1	−9.3%
1973	4.1	−1.2%
1974	3.8	−7.4%
1975	3.4	−9.0%
1976	3.0	−12.5%
1977	3.0	−0.3%
1978	2.6	−11.7%
1979	2.9	+9.8%
1980	2.8	−2.8%
1981	2.6	−8.9%
1982	2.4	−7.0%
1983	2.1	−13.8%
1984	1.7	−15.5%
1985	1.7	−4.6%
1986	1.6	−4.8%
1987	1.5	−3.2%
1988	1.6	+1.3%
1989	1.6	+0.6%
1990	1.6	+0.6%
1991	1.7	+8.9%
1992	1.8	+2.9%
1993	1.7	−6.0%
1994	1.7	+0.1%
1995	1.6	−1.3%
1996	1.6	−3.7%
1997	1.5	−2.4%
1998	1.5	−4.7%
1999	1.4	−2.7%
2000	1.5	+3.9%
2001	1.3	−11.6%
2002	1.2	−10.0%
2003	1.2	+1.1%
2004	1.2	−2.3%
2005	1.1	−6.8%
2006	1.1	+4.3%
2007	1.3	+11.2%
2008	1.2	−5.3%
2009	1.1	−3.6%
2010	1.2	+6.7%
2011	1.2	+1.5%
2012	1.3	+4.3%
2013	1.2	−8.5%
2014	1.2	+1.5%
2015	1.2	+2.8%
2016	1.2	−5.4%
2017	1.1	−10.2%
2018	1.0	−7.1%
2019	0.9	−6.0%
2020	0.8	−8.8%
2021	0.8	−3.5%
2022	0.8	−3.7%
2023low	0.7	−7.3%
2024latest	0.7	+3.7%

Metrics

population

51M

30 of 176

REST Countries · UN data
gdp

$1.8T

13 of 170

World Bank · latest available
gdp per capita

$35,674

29 of 170

World Bank · latest available
military spending

$48B

11 of 151

SIPRI via World Bank
military % of gdp

2.6%

30 of 148

SIPRI via World Bank
area

100K km²

111 of 176

REST Countries
population density

510 /km²

5 of 176

zuhd — derived from population and area
life expectancy

83.4 yr

6 of 175

World Bank · latest available
internet access

97%

15 of 166

ITU via World Bank
co₂ per capita

11.4 t

13 of 163

World Bank · Climate Watch
urbanisation

81%

35 of 168

World Bank · UN DESA
fertility rate

0.7

168 of 168

World Bank · UN DESA
foreign-born share

3.5%

91 of 167

World Bank · UN DESA
remittances % of gdp

0.4%

121 of 155

World Bank · IMF BOP
r&d % of gdp

4.9%

2 of 123

UNESCO UIS via World Bank
researchers per million

9472

1 of 118

UNESCO UIS via World Bank
scientific articles / yr

71,724

9 of 168

NSF / World Bank
high-tech exports %

36%

8 of 153

World Bank · UN Comtrade
gini inequality

33

52 of 139

World Bank · PovcalNet
youth unemployment

7%

40 of 166

ILO via World Bank
adult literacy

98%

23 of 109

UNESCO UIS via World Bank
democracy (v-dem)

0.74

22 of 163

V-Dem via Our World in Data
clean government

64

27 of 164

Transparency International via Our World in Data
press freedom

23.4

38 of 163

RSF via Our World in Data
human development

0.937

17 of 164

UNDP via Our World in Data
refugees hosted

4K

106 of 150

UNHCR via Our World in Data
refugees produced

142

122 of 152

UNHCR via Our World in Data