International Rankings of Korea South 2022, country comparisons

This table lists the international rankings of Korea, South, in all categories that are published in the CIA World Factbook, and those that we derived from them. Additional international rankings of Korea, South, can be found in the main country ranks menu.
For a definition of each entry, visit the Definitions page.

Ranked Data	Rank	Value	Year
Communications
Broadband - fixed subscriptions - subscriptions per 100 inhabitants	9	44	2020
Broadband - fixed subscriptions - total	11	22.327 million	2020
Internet users - percent of population	5	97 %	2020
Internet users - total	20	50.281 million	2020
Telephones - fixed lines - subscriptions per 100 inhabitants	13	47	2020
Telephones - fixed lines - total subscriptions	12	23.858 million	2020
Telephones - mobile cellular - subscriptions per 100 inhabitants	29	138	2020
Telephones - mobile cellular - total subscriptions	24	70.514 million	2020
Economy
Budget - expenditures	14	335.800 billion US Dollars	2017
Budget - revenues	14	357.100 billion US Dollars	2017
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)	17	1.4 % of GDP	0
Exports	65	N/A US Dollars	2022
GDP (official exchange rate)	13	1.647 trillion US Dollars	2019
GDP - composition by end use - exports of goods and services	70	43.1 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by end use - government consumption	77	15.3 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by end use - household consumption	153	48.1 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by end use - imports of goods and services	66	37.7 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by end use - investment in fixed capital	22	31.1 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by end use - investment in inventories	55	0 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by sector of origin - agriculture	123	2.2 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by sector of origin - industry	26	39.3 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by sector of origin - services	100	58.3 % of GDP	2017
Household income or consumption by percentage share - highest 10%	3	48.5 % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population	2015
Household income or consumption by percentage share - lowest 10%	6	6.8 % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population	0
Industrial production growth rate	43	4.6 %	2017
Labor force	21	26.839 million US Dollars	2020
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture	107	4.8 %	0
Labor force - by occupation - industry	38	24.6 %	0
Labor force - by occupation - services	45	70.6 %	2017
Population below poverty line	113	14.4	2016
Public debt	58	N/A % of GDP	2022
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)	12	2.188 trillion US Dollars	2020
Real GDP per capita	24	42300 US Dollars	2020
Taxes and other revenues	100	23.2 % of GDP	0
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) - female	120	7.4	2021
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) - male	103	9.1	0
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) - total	110	8.1	0
Energy
Carbon dioxide emissions - from coal and metallurgical coke	8	319.383 million metric tonnes of CO2	2019
Carbon dioxide emissions - from consumed natural gas	16	112.052 million metric tonnes of CO2	2019
Carbon dioxide emissions - from petroleum and other liquids	12	255.518 million metric tonnes of CO2	2019
Coal - consumption	8	140.579 million metric tons	2020
Coal - exports	51	16000 metric tons	2020
Coal - imports	4	123.784 million metric tons	2020
Coal - production	20	16.364 million metric tons	2020
Coal - proven reserves	46	326.000 million metric tons	2019
Electricity - consumption	8	531.258 billion kWh	2020
Electricity - exports	94	0 kWh	2020
Electricity - imports	113	0 kWh	2020
Electricity - installed generating capacity	10	135.789 million kWh	2020
Electricity - transmission/distribution losses	21	18.610 billion kWh	2020
Electricity generation sources - biomass and waste	41	1.7 %	2020
Electricity generation sources - fossil fuels	74	64.8 %	2020
Electricity generation sources - geothermal	16	0 %	2020
Electricity generation sources - hydroelectricity	119	1.3 %	2020
Electricity generation sources - nuclear	13	27.7 %	2020
Electricity generation sources - solar	36	3.3 %	2020
Electricity generation sources - tide and wave	1	0.7 %	2020
Electricity generation sources - wind	64	0.6 %	2020
Energy consumption per capita	15	242.346 million Btu/person	2019
Natural gas - consumption	16	53.419 billion cubic meters	2019
Natural gas - exports	55	0 cubic meters	2019
Natural gas - imports	8	55.418 billion cubic meters	2019
Natural gas - production	72	240.042 million cubic meters	2019
Natural gas - proven reserves	75	7.079 billion cubic meters	2021
Petroleum - crude oil and lease condensate exports	70	0 bbl/day	2018
Petroleum - crude oil and lease condensate imports	4	3.034 million bbl/day	2018
Petroleum - crude oil estimated reserves	88	N/A bbl/day	2022
Petroleum - refined petroleum consumption	9	2.599 million bbl/day	2019
Petroleum - total petroleum production	60	37400 bbl/day	2021
Refined petroleum products - exports	7	1.396 million bbl/day	2017
Refined petroleum products - imports	7	908800 bbl/day	2017
Refined petroleum products - production	7	3.302 million bbl/day	2017
Environment
Air pollutants - carbon dioxide emissions	8	620.3 megatons	2016
Air pollutants - methane emissions	49	30.28 megatons	2020
Air pollutants - particulate matter emissions	67	24.57 micrograms per cubic meter	2016
Land use - agricultural land	143	18.1	2018
Land use - arable land	67	15.3	2018
Land use - forest	18	63.9	2018
Land use - other	122	18	2018
Land use - permanent crops	58	2.2	2018
Land use - permanent pasture	146	0.6	2018
Revenue from coal	29	0 % of GDP	2018
Revenue from forest resources	93	0.01 % of GDP	2018
Total renewable water resources	76	69.700 billion cubic meters	2017
Total water withdrawal - agricultural	28	15.960 billion cubic meters	2017
Total water withdrawal - industrial	20	4.450 billion cubic meters	2017
Total water withdrawal - municipal	13	6.672 billion cubic meters	2017
Urbanization - rate of urbanization	141	0.31	2025
Urbanization - urban population	38	81.5	2023
Waste and recycling - municipal solid waste generated annually	18	18.219 million tons	2014
Waste and recycling - municipal solid waste recycled annually	3	10.567 million tons	2014
Waste and recycling - percent of municipal solid waste recycled	4	58 %	2014
Geography
Area - land	104	96920 sq km	0
Area - total	106	99720 sq km	0
Area - water	20	2.800 million sq km	0
Coastline	50	2413 km	0
Elevation - highest point	183	1950 meters	0
Elevation - lowest point	32	0 meters	0
Elevation - mean elevation	108	282 meters	0
Irrigated land	47	7780 sq km	2012
Land boundaries - total	138	237 km	0
Land use - agricultural land	143	18.1	2018
Land use - arable land	67	15.3	2018
Land use - forest	18	63.9	2018
Land use - other	122	18	2018
Land use - permanent crops	58	2.2	2018
Land use - permanent pasture	146	0.6	2018
Population
Age structure - 15-24 years	165	10.75	8057
Age structure - 25-54 years	25	44.83	7642
Age structure - 55-64 years	5	15.66	2322
Alcohol consumption per capita - beer	85	1.72 liters of pure alcohol	2019
Alcohol consumption per capita - other alcohols	4	5.66 liters of pure alcohol	2019
Alcohol consumption per capita - spirits	113	0.22 liters of pure alcohol	2019
Alcohol consumption per capita - total	43	7.74 liters of pure alcohol	2019
Alcohol consumption per capita - wine	79	0.15 liters of pure alcohol	2019
Birth rate	197	6.92 births/1,000 population	2022
Children under the age of 5 years underweight	99	N/A %	0
Contraceptive prevalence rate	3	82.3 %	2018
Current health expenditure	32	8.2 % of GDP	2019
Death rate	93	7.12 deaths/1,000 population	2022
Dependency ratios - elderly dependency ratio	44	23.3 %	0
Dependency ratios - potential support ratio	108	4.3 %	2021
Dependency ratios - total dependency ratio	153	39.9 %	0
Dependency ratios - youth dependency ratio	175	16.6 %	0
Drinking water source - improved	63	N/A % of population	0
Drinking water source - rural	105	N/A % of population	0
Drinking water source - total	98	0.1 % of population	2020
Drinking water source - unimproved	62	N/A % of population	0
Education expenditures	37	4.7 % of GDP	2019
Hospital bed density	4	12.4 beds/1,000 population	2018
Infant mortality rate - female	191	2.64 deaths/1,000 live births	2022
Infant mortality rate - male	193	3.08 deaths/1,000 live births	0
Infant mortality rate - total	191	2.87 deaths/1,000 live births	0
Life expectancy at birth - female	7	86.24 years	2022
Life expectancy at birth - male	23	79.88 years	0
Life expectancy at birth - total population	14	82.97 years	0
Literacy - female	118	N/A %	0
Literacy - male	103	N/A %	0
Literacy - total population	112	N/A %	0
Maternal mortality ratio	103	11 deaths/100,000 live births	2017
Median age - female	20	45 years	2020
Median age - male	17	41.6 years	0
Median age - total	18	43.2 years	0
Mother's mean age at first birth	2	32.2	2019
Net migration rate	38	2.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population	0
Obesity - adult prevalence rate	131	4.7 %	2016
Physicians density	64	2.48 physicians/1,000 population	2019
Population	26	51.845 million	2022
Population growth rate	122	0.24 %	2022
Sanitation facility access - improved	93	N/A % of population	0
Sanitation facility access - rural	113	N/A % of population	0
Sanitation facility access - total	113	0.1 % of population	2020
Sanitation facility access - unimproved	93	N/A % of population	0
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) - female	7	16 years	2020
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) - male	3	17 years	0
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) - total	5	17 years	0
Sex ratio - 0-14 years	10	1.05 male(s)/female	0
Sex ratio - 15-24 years	14	1.09	0
Sex ratio - 25-54 years	11	1.11	0
Sex ratio - 55-64 years	26	0.95	0
Sex ratio - 65 years and over	37	0.6 male(s)/female	0
Sex ratio - at birth	8	1.05 male(s)/female	0
Sex ratio - total population	16	1.01 male(s)/female	0
Tobacco use - female	67	5.9 %	2020
Tobacco use - male	46	35.7 %	2020
Tobacco use - total	63	20.8 %	2020
Total fertility rate	136	1.1 children born/woman	2022
Urbanization - rate of urbanization	142	0.31	2025
Urbanization - urban population	38	81.5	2023
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) - female	120	7.4	2021
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) - male	103	9.1	0
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) - total	110	8.1	0
Transportation
Airports	50	111	2021
Airports - with paved runways - 1524 to 2437 m	32	12	0
Airports - with paved runways - 2438 to 3047 m	20	19	0
Airports - with paved runways - 914 to 1523 m	31	13	0
Airports - with paved runways - over 3047 m	22	4	0
Airports - with paved runways - total	30	71	0
Airports - with paved runways - under 914 m	17	23	2021
Airports - with unpaved runways - 1524 to 2437 m	30	N/A	2022
Airports - with unpaved runways - 914 to 1523 m	56	2	0
Airports - with unpaved runways - total	58	40	0
Airports - with unpaved runways - under 914 m	37	38	2021
Heliports	3	466	2021
Merchant marine - total	13	1904	0
National air transport system - annual freight traffic on registered air carriers	5	11.930 billion	2018
National air transport system - annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers	13	88.158 million	2018
National air transport system - inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers	16	424	0
National air transport system - number of registered air carriers	14	14	2020
Railways - standard gauge	23	3979	2016
Railways - total	47	3979 km	2016
Roadways - paved	27	92795 km	2016
Roadways - total	39	100428 km	2016
Waterways	49	1600 km	2011

*CALCULATED FIGURES are those that we calculated from data presented by the CIA World Factbook. For example, we calculated population density by dividing the total population by the land area, the electricity consumption per capita by dividing electricity consumption by the total population, etc.

NOTE: The information regarding Korea, South on this page is re-published from the 2022 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Korea, South 2022 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Korea, South 2022 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.