Government spending per capita in South Korea

South Korea: Government spending per capita was 21,401 current international-$ in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
21,401 current international-$
Change on year
up 4.7%
World rank
31st
of 43 countries
All-time high
21,401 current international-$
in 2024
All-time low
8,147 current international-$
in 2007
Years of data
18
2007–2024

Government spending per capita in South Korea, 2007–2024

05.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k2007201520242007: 8.1k current international-$2008: 8.9k current international-$2009: 9.5k current international-$2010: 9.4k current international-$2011: 9.9k current international-$2012: 10.3k current international-$2013: 10.3k current international-$2014: 10.7k current international-$2015: 11.5k current international-$2016: 12.0k current international-$2017: 12.4k current international-$2018: 13.4k current international-$2019: 14.8k current international-$2020: 17.2k current international-$2021: 18.3k current international-$2022: 20.6k current international-$2023: 20.4k current international-$2024: 21.4k current international-$

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 28 Portugal 22,321 current international-$ compare
  2. 29 Estonia 22,116 current international-$ compare
  3. 30 Lithuania 21,954 current international-$ compare
  4. 32 Romania 21,349 current international-$ compare
  5. 33 Greece 21,055 current international-$ compare
  6. 34 Japan 20,594 current international-$ compare

See the full ranking of 43 places →

More reference data data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

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.

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About this data

Indicator
Government spending per capita
Unit
current international-$
Source
OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
43 places, 757 data points, 2007–2024
Last refreshed

The 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.