Government spending by function in South Korea
South Korea: Government spending by function was 26.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government spending by function in South Korea, 2007–2023
Source: OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of government expenditure.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government spending by function in South Korea is 26.2%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.
The figure is up 7.4% on the previous year and up 27.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending by function in South Korea peaked at 26.2% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 16.6%, in 2007.
South Korea ranks 32nd of 37 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Government spending by function in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 16.6% | — |
| 2008 | 17.1% | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 16.8% | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 17.8% | +6.1% |
| 2011 | 18.5% | +4.0% |
| 2012 | 19.7% | +6.3% |
| 2013 | 20.6% | +4.6% |
| 2014 | 21.5% | +4.6% |
| 2015 | 22.1% | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 22.4% | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 22.4% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 22.3% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 22.7% | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 24.5% | +8.1% |
| 2021 | 24.1% | -1.5% |
| 2022 | 24.4% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 26.2% | +7.4% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 26.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 36.4%, 72% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 16.8% | 16.6% | 17.1% | 3 |
| 2010s | 21.0% | 17.8% | 22.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.8% | 24.1% | 26.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More reference data data for South Korea
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9638 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.9281 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2074 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 4.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 19.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.13 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending by function in South Korea?
- Government spending by function in South Korea was 26.2% in 2023, according to OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending by function recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 26.2% in 2023.
- What is the lowest government spending by function recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.6% in 2007.
- How does South Korea rank for government spending by function?
- South Korea ranks 32nd out of 37 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending by function rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending by function. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
General government expenditure on social protection. This data is divided by total government expenditure, expressed as a percentage.