Tax revenue (% of GDP) in South Korea
South Korea: Tax revenue (% of GDP) was 13.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Tax revenue in South Korea, 1972–2024
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for tax revenue in South Korea is 13.3%, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 8.9% on the previous year and up 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tax revenue in South Korea peaked at 17.2% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 10.3%, in 1973.
South Korea ranks 103rd of 157 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 53 years of available data.
Tax revenue (% of GDP) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 11.0% | — |
| 1973 | 10.3% | -6.3% |
| 1974 | 11.4% | +10.2% |
| 1975 | 13.0% | +14.2% |
| 1976 | 14.2% | +9.5% |
| 1977 | 13.9% | -2.3% |
| 1978 | 14.3% | +2.9% |
| 1979 | 14.5% | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 14.4% | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 14.4% | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 14.4% | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 14.5% | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 13.6% | -6.3% |
| 1985 | 13.2% | -3.0% |
| 1986 | 12.9% | -2.2% |
| 1987 | 13.1% | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 13.0% | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 12.5% | -4.0% |
| 1990 | 13.0% | +4.4% |
| 1991 | 12.2% | -6.6% |
| 1992 | 12.3% | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 12.1% | -1.9% |
| 1994 | 12.3% | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 12.6% | +2.3% |
| 1996 | 12.8% | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 12.5% | -2.5% |
| 1998 | 12.2% | -2.4% |
| 1999 | 12.3% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 13.8% | +11.4% |
| 2001 | 13.1% | -4.9% |
| 2002 | 12.8% | -2.2% |
| 2003 | 13.2% | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 12.5% | -5.4% |
| 2005 | 12.8% | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 13.2% | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 14.2% | +7.8% |
| 2008 | 13.9% | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 13.1% | -5.8% |
| 2010 | 12.9% | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 13.3% | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 13.5% | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 13.0% | -3.3% |
| 2014 | 12.6% | -3.0% |
| 2015 | 12.5% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 13.3% | +6.0% |
| 2017 | 13.8% | +3.6% |
| 2018 | 14.7% | +6.8% |
| 2019 | 14.3% | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 14.0% | -2.3% |
| 2021 | 15.7% | +11.8% |
| 2022 | 17.2% | +9.5% |
| 2023 | 14.6% | -14.9% |
| 2024 | 13.3% | -8.9% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 13.3% is below the median for high income countries, which is 20.7%, 64% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 13.3% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 16.7%, 80% of the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 12.8% | 10.3% | 14.5% | 8 |
| 1980s | 13.6% | 12.5% | 14.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.4% | 12.1% | 13.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.3% | 12.5% | 14.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.4% | 12.5% | 14.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.9% | 13.3% | 17.2% | 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 tax revenue in South Korea?
- Tax revenue in South Korea was 13.3% in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest tax revenue recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 17.2% in 2022.
- What is the lowest tax revenue recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.3% in 1973.
- How does South Korea rank for tax revenue?
- South Korea ranks 103rd out of 157 countries with data for 2024.
- Is tax revenue rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Tax revenue (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 53 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Taxes are compulsory, unrequited payments, in cash or in kind, made by institutional units to government units. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.