Net food imports by crop - Wheat in South Korea

South Korea: Net food imports by crop - Wheat was 3.75 million in 2019. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2019)
3.75 million
Change on year
down 3.0%
World rank
16th
of 175 countries
All-time high
6.06 million
in 1994
All-time low
336,286
in 1961
Years of data
59
1961–2019

Net food imports by crop - Wheat in South Korea, 1961–2019

02.0M4.0M6.0M196119902019

Source: FAOSTAT. Available at: http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data.

Analysis

In 2019, net food imports by crop - wheat in South Korea stood at 3.75 million.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.0% on the previous year and down 1.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, net food imports by crop - wheat in South Korea peaked at 6.06 million in 1994 and was at its lowest, 336,286, in 1961.

South Korea ranks 16th of 175 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Net food imports by crop - Wheat in South Korea, year by year

Annual values for Net food imports by crop - Wheat in South Korea, 1961 to 2019.
Year Value Change
1961 336,286 —
1962 370,800 +10.3%
1963 897,961 +142.2%
1964 374,871 -58.3%
1965 476,245 +27.0%
1966 425,828 -10.6%
1967 635,711 +49.3%
1968 813,464 +28.0%
1969 1.34 million +65.1%
1970 1.18 million -12.3%
1971 1.65 million +40.4%
1972 1.82 million +10.2%
1973 1.81 million -0.8%
1974 1.31 million -27.3%
1975 1.52 million +15.7%
1976 1.79 million +17.7%
1977 1.99 million +11.3%
1978 1.64 million -17.7%
1979 1.70 million +3.5%
1980 1.87 million +10.2%
1981 1.96 million +4.7%
1982 1.93 million -1.5%
1983 1.85 million -3.8%
1984 2.65 million +42.9%
1985 2.99 million +12.7%
1986 3.45 million +15.5%
1987 4.12 million +19.5%
1988 4.12 million -0.1%
1989 2.27 million -44.7%
1990 2.52 million +10.6%
1991 4.79 million +90.4%
1992 3.55 million -26.0%
1993 4.94 million +39.3%
1994 6.06 million +22.6%
1995 2.34 million -61.3%
1996 2.22 million -5.1%
1997 3.33 million +49.6%
1998 4.70 million +41.2%
1999 4.19 million -10.8%
2000 3.33 million -20.5%
2001 3.63 million +9.0%
2002 3.86 million +6.4%
2003 3.76 million -2.5%
2004 3.37 million -10.5%
2005 3.64 million +8.2%
2006 3.52 million -3.3%
2007 3.18 million -9.8%
2008 2.68 million -15.6%
2009 3.80 million +41.9%
2010 4.38 million +15.2%
2011 4.67 million +6.5%
2012 5.66 million +21.1%
2013 4.68 million -17.2%
2014 3.75 million -19.9%
2015 4.02 million +7.2%
2016 4.44 million +10.3%
2017 4.22 million -4.8%
2018 3.86 million -8.5%
2019 3.75 million -3.0%

South Korea compared with similar countries

  • South Korea's 3.75 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 97,313, 38.5× the median. (62 countries reporting)
  • South Korea's 3.75 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 230,742, 16.2× the median. (24 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Net food imports by crop - Wheat 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.

YearChange FromTo
1963 +142.2% 370,800 897,961

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 630,453 336,286 1.34 million 9
1970s 1.64 million 1.18 million 1.99 million 10
1980s 2.72 million 1.85 million 4.12 million 10
1990s 3.86 million 2.22 million 6.06 million 10
2000s 3.48 million 2.68 million 3.86 million 10
2010s 4.34 million 3.75 million 5.66 million 10

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 13 Bangladesh 4.60 million compare
  2. 14 China 4.56 million compare
  3. 15 Morocco 3.84 million compare
  4. 17 Belgium 3.66 million compare
  5. 18 Saudi Arabia 3.10 million compare
  6. 19 Thailand 2.70 million compare

See the full ranking of 175 places →

More reference data data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is net food imports by crop - wheat in South Korea?
Net food imports by crop - wheat in South Korea was 3.75 million in 2019, according to FAOSTAT. Available at: http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data.
What is the highest net food imports by crop - wheat recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 6.06 million in 1994.
What is the lowest net food imports by crop - wheat recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 336,286 in 1961.
How does South Korea rank for net food imports by crop - wheat?
South Korea ranks 16th out of 175 countries with data for 2019.
Is net food imports by crop - wheat rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Korea data come from?
The figures come from FAOSTAT. Available at: http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data, published as part of Net food imports by crop - Wheat. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Net food imports by crop - Wheat in South Korea. Statizoid, drawing on FAOSTAT. Available at: http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data. Retrieved 29 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/net-food-imports-by-crop-wheat/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Net food imports by crop - Wheat
Source
FAOSTAT. Available at: http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
175 places, 7,821 data points, 1961–2019
Last refreshed

Net food imports are generated from FAOSTAT, taking Export level (tonnes) from the Import level (tonnes) [both under Trade: Crops and Livestock Products]. Net food imports are a proxy for the country's vulnerability to global food prices.