International Rankings of Korea South 2023, 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	12	22.327 million	2020
Internet users - percent of population	3	98 %	2021
Internet users - total	22	50.960 million	2021
Telephones - fixed lines - subscriptions per 100 inhabitants	15	45	2021
Telephones - fixed lines - total subscriptions	14	23.213 million	2021
Telephones - mobile cellular - subscriptions per 100 inhabitants	23	141	2021
Telephones - mobile cellular - total subscriptions	26	72.855 million	2021
Economy
Average household expenditures - on alcohol and tobacco	35	2.7 % of household expenditures	2018
Average household expenditures - on food	76	13.8 % of household expenditures	2018
Budget - expenditures	16	372.412 billion US Dollars	2019
Budget - revenues	16	378.552 billion US Dollars	2019
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)	20	1.4 % of GDP	0
Current account balance	6	88.302 billion US Dollars	2021
Debt - external	29	457.745 billion US Dollars	2019
Exports	10	771.202 billion US Dollars	2021
GDP (official exchange rate)	14	1.647 trillion US Dollars	2019
GDP - composition by end use - exports of goods and services	77	43.1 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by end use - government consumption	82	15.3 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by end use - household consumption	158	48.1 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by end use - imports of goods and services	70	37.7 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by end use - investment in fixed capital	23	31.1 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by end use - investment in inventories	56	0 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by sector of origin - agriculture	129	2.2 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by sector of origin - industry	29	39.3 % of GDP	2017
GDP - composition by sector of origin - services	111	58.3 % of GDP	2017
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income	100	31.4 %	2016
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
Imports	12	698.103 billion US Dollars	2021
Industrial production growth rate	85	5.09 %	2021
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	118	2.5 %	2021
Labor force	25	28.674 million US Dollars	2021
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture	115	4.8 %	0
Labor force - by occupation - industry	40	24.6 %	0
Labor force - by occupation - services	51	70.6 %	2017
Population below poverty line	121	14.4 %	2016
Public debt	108	46.43 % of GDP	2020
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)	15	2.289 trillion US Dollars	2021
Real GDP growth rate	109	4.15 %	2021
Real GDP per capita	36	44200 US Dollars	2021
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold	10	463.281 billion US Dollars	2021
Taxes and other revenues	137	14.86 % of GDP	0
Unemployment rate	175	3.53 %	2021
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) - female	137	6.9	2021
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) - male	124	8.8	0
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) - total	129	7.8	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	54	16000 metric tons	2020
Coal - imports	4	123.784 million metric tons	2020
Coal - production	22	16.364 million metric tons	2020
Coal - proven reserves	49	326.000 million metric tons	2019
Electricity - consumption	8	531.258 billion kWh	2020
Electricity - exports	98	0 kWh	2020
Electricity - imports	117	0 kWh	2020
Electricity - installed generating capacity	10	135.789 million kWh	2020
Electricity - transmission/distribution losses	22	18.610 billion kWh	2020
Electricity access	1	100 %	2020
Electricity generation sources - biomass and waste	41	1.7 %	2020
Electricity generation sources - fossil fuels	82	64.8 %	2020
Electricity generation sources - geothermal	17	0 %	2020
Electricity generation sources - hydroelectricity	125	1.3 %	2020
Electricity generation sources - nuclear	13	27.7 %	2020
Electricity generation sources - solar	38	3.3 %	2020
Electricity generation sources - tide and wave	1	0.7 %	2020
Electricity generation sources - wind	67	0.6 %	2020
Energy consumption per capita	15	242.346 million Btu/person	2019
Natural gas - consumption	15	53.419 billion cubic meters	2019
Natural gas - exports	57	0 cubic meters	2019
Natural gas - imports	8	55.418 billion cubic meters	2019
Natural gas - production	75	240.042 million cubic meters	2019
Natural gas - proven reserves	76	7.079 billion cubic meters	2021
Petroleum - crude oil and lease condensate exports	73	0 bbl/day	2018
Petroleum - crude oil and lease condensate imports	4	3.034 million bbl/day	2018
Petroleum - crude oil estimated reserves	90	N/A bbl/day	2023
Petroleum - refined petroleum consumption	9	2.599 million bbl/day	2019
Petroleum - total petroleum production	63	37400 bbl/day	2021
Refined petroleum products - exports	8	1.396 million bbl/day	2017
Refined petroleum products - imports	8	908800 bbl/day	2017
Refined petroleum products - production	8	3.302 million bbl/day	2017
Environment
Air pollutants - carbon dioxide emissions	8	620.3 megatons	2016
Air pollutants - methane emissions	50	30.28 megatons	2020
Air pollutants - particulate matter emissions	70	24.57 micrograms per cubic meter	2016
Land use - agricultural land	152	18.1	2018
Land use - arable land	70	15.3	2018
Land use - forest	21	63.9	2018
Land use - other	132	18	2018
Land use - permanent crops	64	2.2	2018
Land use - permanent pasture	156	0.6	2018
Revenue from coal	33	0 % of GDP	2018
Revenue from forest resources	97	0.01 % of GDP	2018
Total renewable water resources	81	69.700 billion cubic meters	2020
Total water withdrawal - agricultural	30	15.960 billion cubic meters	2020
Total water withdrawal - industrial	20	4.450 billion cubic meters	2020
Total water withdrawal - municipal	16	6.672 billion cubic meters	2020
Urbanization - rate of urbanization	151	0.31	2025
Urbanization - urban population	43	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	108	96920 sq km	0
Area - total	111	99720 sq km	0
Area - water	21	2.800 million sq km	0
Coastline	55	2413 km	0
Elevation - highest point	213	1950 meters	0
Elevation - lowest point	35	0 meters	0
Elevation - mean elevation	111	282 meters	0
Irrigated land	49	7780 sq km	2012
Land boundaries - total	147	237 km	0
Land use - agricultural land	152	18.1	2018
Land use - arable land	70	15.3	2018
Land use - forest	21	63.9	2018
Land use - other	132	18	2018
Land use - permanent crops	64	2.2	2018
Land use - permanent pasture	156	0.6	2018
Military
Military expenditures	26	2.6 % of GDP	2022
Population
Alcohol consumption per capita - beer	87	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	117	0.22 liters of pure alcohol	2019
Alcohol consumption per capita - total	45	7.74 liters of pure alcohol	2019
Alcohol consumption per capita - wine	82	0.15 liters of pure alcohol	2019
Birth rate	214	6.95 births/1,000 population	2023
Children under the age of 5 years underweight	103	N/A %	0
Contraceptive prevalence rate	3	82.3 %	2018
Current health expenditure	37	8.4 % of GDP	2020
Currently married women (ages 15-49)	105	52.9 %	2023
Death rate	101	7.28 deaths/1,000 population	2023
Dependency ratios - elderly dependency ratio	47	23.3 %	0
Dependency ratios - potential support ratio	112	4.3 %	2021
Dependency ratios - total dependency ratio	163	39.9 %	0
Dependency ratios - youth dependency ratio	187	16.6 %	0
Drinking water source - improved	66	N/A % of population	0
Drinking water source - rural	110	N/A % of population	0
Drinking water source - total	101	0.1 % of population	2020
Drinking water source - unimproved	65	N/A % of population	0
Education expenditures	39	4.7 % of GDP	2019
Gross reproduction rate	110	0.54 %	2023
Hospital bed density	4	12.4 beds/1,000 population	2018
Infant mortality rate - female	208	2.6 deaths/1,000 live births	2023
Infant mortality rate - male	205	3.04 deaths/1,000 live births	0
Infant mortality rate - total	207	2.83 deaths/1,000 live births	0
Life expectancy at birth - female	7	86.42 years	2023
Life expectancy at birth - male	22	80.09 years	0
Life expectancy at birth - total population	14	83.17 years	0
Literacy - female	122	N/A %	0
Literacy - male	100	N/A %	0
Literacy - total population	110	N/A %	0
Maternal mortality ratio	114	8 deaths/100,000 live births	2020
Median age - female	21	45 years	2020
Median age - male	21	41.6 years	0
Median age - total	21	43.2 years	0
Mother's mean age at first birth	2	32.2	2019
Net migration rate	42	2.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population	0
Obesity - adult prevalence rate	137	4.7 %	2016
Physicians density	64	2.48 physicians/1,000 population	2019
Population	28	51.967 million	2023
Population growth rate	130	0.23 %	2023
Sanitation facility access - improved	95	N/A % of population	0
Sanitation facility access - rural	120	N/A % of population	0
Sanitation facility access - total	120	0.1 % of population	2020
Sanitation facility access - unimproved	95	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	4	17 years	0
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) - total	5	17 years	0
Sex ratio - 0-14 years	11	1.05 male(s)/female	0
Sex ratio - 15-64 years	16	1.07 male(s)/female	0
Sex ratio - 65 years and over	35	0.78 male(s)/female	0
Sex ratio - at birth	8	1.05 male(s)/female	0
Sex ratio - total population	18	1.01 male(s)/female	0
Tobacco use - female	71	5.9 %	2020
Tobacco use - male	49	35.7 %	2020
Tobacco use - total	67	20.8 %	2020
Total fertility rate	147	1.11 children born/woman	2023
Urbanization - rate of urbanization	151	0.31	2025
Urbanization - urban population	43	81.5	2023
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) - female	137	6.9	2021
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) - male	124	8.8	0
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) - total	129	7.8	0
Transportation
Airports	50	111	2021
Airports - with paved runways - civil airports	18	N/A	2023
Airports - with paved runways - joint use (civil-military) airports	1	N/A	2023
Airports - with paved runways - military airports	14	N/A	2023
Airports - with paved runways - other airports	22	N/A	2023
Airports - with unpaved runways	60	401000	3280
Heliports	3	466	2021
Merchant marine - total	11	2063	0
National air transport system - annual freight traffic on registered air carriers	6	11.930 billion	2018
National air transport system - annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers	14	88.158 million	2018
National air transport system - inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers	17	424	0
National air transport system - number of registered air carriers	14	14	2020
Railways	33	N/A km	2023
Roadways - paved	27	92795 km	2016
Roadways - total	42	100428 km	2016
Waterways	50	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 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Korea, South 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Korea, South 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.