Government spending per capita in South Korea
South Korea: Government spending per capita was 21,401 current international-$ in 2024. ▲ Rising
Government spending per capita in South Korea, 2007–2024
Source: OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in current international-$.
Analysis
In 2024, government spending per capita in South Korea stood at 21,401 current international-$. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.
That represents a change of up 4.7% on the previous year and up 99.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending per capita in South Korea peaked at 21,401 current international-$ in 2024 and was at its lowest, 8,147 current international-$, in 2007.
That places South Korea 31st out of 43 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.
Government spending per capita in South Korea, year by year
| Year | current international-$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 8,147 current international-$ | — |
| 2008 | 8,927 current international-$ | +9.6% |
| 2009 | 9,528 current international-$ | +6.7% |
| 2010 | 9,400 current international-$ | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 9,889 current international-$ | +5.2% |
| 2012 | 10,336 current international-$ | +4.5% |
| 2013 | 10,318 current international-$ | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 10,746 current international-$ | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 11,522 current international-$ | +7.2% |
| 2016 | 11,985 current international-$ | +4.0% |
| 2017 | 12,410 current international-$ | +3.5% |
| 2018 | 13,394 current international-$ | +7.9% |
| 2019 | 14,845 current international-$ | +10.8% |
| 2020 | 17,187 current international-$ | +15.8% |
| 2021 | 18,302 current international-$ | +6.5% |
| 2022 | 20,551 current international-$ | +12.3% |
| 2023 | 20,445 current international-$ | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 21,401 current international-$ | +4.7% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 21,401 current international-$ is below the median for high income countries, which is 26,582 current international-$, 81% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 21,401 current international-$ is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 21,401 current international-$, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8,867 current international-$ | 8,147 current international-$ | 9,528 current international-$ | 3 |
| 2010s | 11,484 current international-$ | 9,400 current international-$ | 14,845 current international-$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 19,577 current international-$ | 17,187 current international-$ | 21,401 current international-$ | 5 |
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 per capita in South Korea?
- Government spending per capita in South Korea was 21,401 current international-$ in 2024, according to OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending per capita recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 21,401 current international-$ in 2024.
- What is the lowest government spending per capita recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 8,147 current international-$ in 2007.
- How does South Korea rank for government spending per capita?
- South Korea ranks 31st out of 43 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending per capita rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 99.2%. 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 per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total amount of money the general government spends per capita. This data is adjusted for differences in living costs between countries but not for inflation.