Social contributions (% of revenue) in South Korea
South Korea: Social contributions (% of revenue) was 29.9% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Social contributions in South Korea, 1972–2024
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of revenue.
Analysis
In 2024, social contributions in South Korea stood at 29.9%. That is the highest value across all 53 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 16.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, social contributions in South Korea peaked at 29.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 1972.
That places South Korea 30th out of 112 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Social contributions (% of revenue) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % of revenue | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 0.7% | — |
| 1973 | 0.9% | +28.2% |
| 1974 | 0.8% | -12.3% |
| 1975 | 0.8% | +7.4% |
| 1976 | 0.9% | +3.2% |
| 1977 | 0.9% | +6.3% |
| 1978 | 1.0% | +9.2% |
| 1979 | 1.1% | +9.3% |
| 1980 | 1.1% | -1.3% |
| 1981 | 1.0% | -5.9% |
| 1982 | 1.1% | +9.3% |
| 1983 | 1.1% | +3.0% |
| 1984 | 1.3% | +10.1% |
| 1985 | 1.5% | +19.3% |
| 1986 | 1.6% | +4.7% |
| 1987 | 1.7% | +7.5% |
| 1988 | 3.8% | +125.5% |
| 1989 | 4.4% | +14.1% |
| 1990 | 4.8% | +10.4% |
| 1991 | 5.2% | +7.8% |
| 1992 | 5.8% | +12.0% |
| 1993 | 8.5% | +46.2% |
| 1994 | 7.8% | -8.0% |
| 1995 | 7.8% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 9.1% | +16.5% |
| 1997 | 9.5% | +4.6% |
| 1998 | 11.2% | +17.2% |
| 1999 | 11.5% | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 13.3% | +16.0% |
| 2001 | 14.9% | +11.8% |
| 2002 | 15.1% | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 14.7% | -2.6% |
| 2004 | 15.8% | +7.4% |
| 2005 | 16.2% | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 16.2% | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 14.0% | -13.2% |
| 2008 | 15.8% | +12.8% |
| 2009 | 16.4% | +3.5% |
| 2010 | 16.1% | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 16.1% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 23.5% | +46.1% |
| 2013 | 24.4% | +3.9% |
| 2014 | 25.8% | +5.7% |
| 2015 | 26.3% | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 26.0% | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 25.8% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 25.5% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 27.0% | +5.7% |
| 2020 | 28.7% | +6.4% |
| 2021 | 26.8% | -6.5% |
| 2022 | 26.2% | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 29.2% | +11.5% |
| 2024 | 29.9% | +2.4% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 29.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 28.1%, 1.1× the median. (49 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 29.9% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.0%, 15.0× the median. (11 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Social contributions (% of revenue) in South Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | +125.5% | 1.7% | 3.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.1% | 8 |
| 1980s | 1.9% | 1.0% | 4.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.1% | 4.8% | 11.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.2% | 13.3% | 16.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.6% | 16.1% | 27.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.2% | 26.2% | 29.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More public sector data for South Korea
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Arms imports 222.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 19.5 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0005 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 362.84 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is social contributions in South Korea?
- Social contributions in South Korea was 29.9% in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest social contributions recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 29.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest social contributions recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 1972.
- How does South Korea rank for social contributions?
- South Korea ranks 30th out of 112 countries with data for 2024.
- Is social contributions rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Social contributions (% of revenue). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Social contributions are actual or imputed contributions payable to social insurance schemes to make provisions for social benefits to be paid. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of revenue which includes all transactions that add to the amount of economic value of a unit or sector.