OHMEGA/MONSTER

South Korea South KoreaEast Asia & Pacific

South Korea: 13th largest economy, 11th in military spending

Head of state Lee Jae MyungHead of government Han Seong-sookCapital Seoul
Population51.7M#29 of 194 in the world · 2025
GDP$1.9T#13 of 193 in the world · 2025
GDP per person$36.2k#33 of 193 in the world · 2025
Fossil fuel output4.8 TWh#102 of 186 in the world · 2024
Military spending$47.6B#11 of 167 in the world · 2024

Bars show the share of states this actor is ahead of. Rank is among states, each at its latest year.

51.7M people, 81% in cities

  • Population51.7M2025
  • Population growth-0.1%2025
  • Urban population81.2%2025
  • Land area97.6k km²2023

A $1.9T economy, $36.2k per person

  • GDP$1.9T2025
  • GDP (purchasing power)$3.3T2025
  • GDP per person$36.2k2025
  • GDP per person (purchasing power)$63.1k2025
  • GDP growth1.0%2025

Fuels are 8% of goods exports

  • Exports, share of GDP45.8%2025
  • Imports, share of GDP40.6%2025
  • Fuels, share of goods exports7.7%2024
  • Exports of goods and services$857B2025
  • Imports of goods and services$760B2025

Fossil fuel output of 4.8 TWh

Oilmade 0.0 TWhused 1.5k TWh
Gasmade 1.8 TWhused 636 TWh
Coalmade 3.0 TWhused 792 TWh
  • Fossil fuel production (oil + gas + coal)4.8 TWh2024
  • Primary energy consumption3.6k TWh2024
  • Energy use per person69.9 MWh2024
  • Electricity generation625 TWh2025
  • Electricity from fossil fuels60.0%2025

Spends $47.6B on its military, 2.6% of GDP

  • Military spending$47.6B2024
  • Military spending, share of GDP2.6%2024
  • Armed forces personnel569k2020
  • Arms imports (SIPRI trend-indicator value, 1990 US$)$1B2024
  • Arms exports (SIPRI trend-indicator value, 1990 US$)$964M2024

In play in 1 theater

Russia-Ukraine war and European security architecture

Where these numbers come from

Leaders as of 2026-10-05. Figures fetched 2026-10-05; each shows its own year.