South Korea vs United States: Personal remittances and foreign aid received

South Korea
7.79 billion current US$
in 2021
United States
7.09 billion current US$
in 2021
South Korea rank
25th
United States rank
28th

Personal remittances and foreign aid received over time

  • South Korea
  • United States
02.0B4.0B6.0B8.0B197619982021

How they compare

South Korea currently reports 7.79 billion current US$ against 7.09 billion current US$ in United States, a difference of 696.30 million current US$.

That makes South Korea's figure about 1.1 times United States's.

The two have swapped places 9 times across 45 shared years of data; in 1977 it was United States ahead.

South Korea ranks 25th and United States ranks 28th of 193 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 5 and United States in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade South Korea United States Difference Ahead
1970s 103.00 million current US$ 216.67 million current US$ 113.67 million current US$ United States
1980s 1.36 billion current US$ 439.70 million current US$ 916.31 million current US$ South Korea
1990s 3.38 billion current US$ 2.13 billion current US$ 1.25 billion current US$ South Korea
2000s 5.42 billion current US$ 4.91 billion current US$ 509.73 million current US$ South Korea
2010s 6.59 billion current US$ 6.47 billion current US$ 120.10 million current US$ South Korea
2020s 7.65 billion current US$ 6.96 billion current US$ 688.80 million current US$ South Korea

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher personal remittances and foreign aid received, South Korea or United States?
South Korea, at 7.79 billion current US$ against 7.09 billion current US$ in United States as of 2021.
What is the difference in personal remittances and foreign aid received between South Korea and United States?
696.30 million current US$, with South Korea ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and United States?
45 years are reported by both, from 1977 to 2021.
How do South Korea and United States rank globally for personal remittances and foreign aid received?
South Korea ranks 25th and United States ranks 28th of 193 countries.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank based on International Monetary Fund balance of payments data (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Personal remittances and foreign aid received. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Personal remittances and foreign aid received
Unit
current US$
Source
World Bank based on International Monetary Fund balance of payments data (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
193 places, 6,518 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed

Remittances are financial transfers from non-residents to residents of a country, such as a worker abroad sending money to family and friends. Foreign aid is measured as official development assistance. Both are measured in current US$.