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Public social spending as share of GDP in South Korea

South Korea: Public social spending as share of GDP was 15.3% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
15.3%
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
35th
of 42 countries
All-time high
16.2%
in 2022
All-time low
2.5%
in 1991
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Public social spending as share of GDP in South Korea, 1990–2024

0510151990200720241990: 2.5 % of GDP1991: 2.5 % of GDP1992: 2.7 % of GDP1993: 2.7 % of GDP1994: 2.7 % of GDP1995: 2.9 % of GDP1996: 3 % of GDP1997: 3.3 % of GDP1998: 4.5 % of GDP1999: 5.4 % of GDP2000: 4.2 % of GDP2001: 4.5 % of GDP2002: 4.4 % of GDP2003: 4.6 % of GDP2004: 5.2 % of GDP2005: 5.5 % of GDP2006: 6.3 % of GDP2007: 6.3 % of GDP2008: 6.8 % of GDP2009: 7.6 % of GDP2010: 7.4 % of GDP2011: 7.3 % of GDP2012: 7.8 % of GDP2013: 8.3 % of GDP2014: 8.6 % of GDP2015: 9.1 % of GDP2016: 9.2 % of GDP2017: 9.5 % of GDP2018: 10.2 % of GDP2019: 11.4 % of GDP2020: 14.9 % of GDP2021: 15.2 % of GDP2022: 16.2 % of GDP2023: 15.4 % of GDP2024: 15.3 % of GDP

Source: OECD (2025); OECD (1985); Lindert (2004) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

South Korea recorded 15.3% for public social spending as share of gdp in 2024.

The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 77.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, public social spending as share of gdp in South Korea peaked at 16.2% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 2.5%, in 1991.

South Korea ranks 35th of 42 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 3.2% 2.5% 5.4% 10
2000s 5.5% 4.2% 7.6% 10
2010s 8.9% 7.3% 11.4% 10
2020s 15.4% 14.9% 16.2% 5

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 32 Lithuania 16.9% compare
  2. 33 Israel 16.3% compare
  3. 34 Switzerland 16.0% compare
  4. 37 Colombia 14.1% compare
  5. 38 Chile 12.9% compare

See the full ranking of 42 places →

More reference data data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is public social spending as share of gdp in South Korea?
Public social spending as share of gdp in South Korea was 15.3% in 2024, according to OECD (2025); OECD (1985); Lindert (2004) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest public social spending as share of gdp recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 16.2% in 2022.
What is the lowest public social spending as share of gdp recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 2.5% in 1991.
How does South Korea rank for public social spending as share of gdp?
South Korea ranks 35th out of 42 countries with data for 2024.
Is public social spending as share of gdp rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 77.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Korea data come from?
The figures come from OECD (2025); OECD (1985); Lindert (2004) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Public social spending as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Public social spending as share of GDP
Unit
% of GDP
Source
OECD (2025); OECD (1985); Lindert (2004) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
42 places, 1,937 data points, 1880–2024
Last refreshed

Public social expenditure divided bt gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.