Taxes on international trade (% of revenue) in South Korea
South Korea: Taxes on international trade (% of revenue) was 1.0% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Taxes on international trade in South Korea, 1972–2024
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of revenue.
Analysis
In 2024, taxes on international trade in South Korea stood at 1.0%. That is the lowest value across all 53 years on record.
The figure is down 4.8% on the previous year and down 52.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, taxes on international trade in South Korea peaked at 19.0% in 1978 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 2024.
That places South Korea 114th out of 154 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.
Taxes on international trade (% of revenue) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % of revenue | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 10.2% | — |
| 1973 | 12.1% | +18.8% |
| 1974 | 12.4% | +1.9% |
| 1975 | 13.0% | +5.1% |
| 1976 | 14.9% | +14.2% |
| 1977 | 16.2% | +8.8% |
| 1978 | 19.0% | +17.4% |
| 1979 | 17.0% | -10.5% |
| 1980 | 15.0% | -11.4% |
| 1981 | 13.9% | -7.4% |
| 1982 | 13.3% | -4.3% |
| 1983 | 15.8% | +18.1% |
| 1984 | 15.4% | -2.5% |
| 1985 | 14.2% | -7.6% |
| 1986 | 14.9% | +5.3% |
| 1987 | 17.3% | +15.9% |
| 1988 | 14.0% | -18.9% |
| 1989 | 10.9% | -22.6% |
| 1990 | 11.8% | +8.2% |
| 1991 | 9.2% | -22.1% |
| 1992 | 7.3% | -20.4% |
| 1993 | 5.8% | -20.7% |
| 1994 | 5.8% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 6.5% | +13.1% |
| 1996 | 6.4% | -2.1% |
| 1997 | 6.4% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 4.0% | -37.0% |
| 1999 | 4.4% | +9.9% |
| 2000 | 4.3% | -2.6% |
| 2001 | 4.2% | -3.1% |
| 2002 | 4.2% | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 4.1% | -4.1% |
| 2004 | 3.9% | -4.7% |
| 2005 | 3.4% | -13.6% |
| 2006 | 3.3% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 3.1% | -5.6% |
| 2008 | 3.6% | +13.3% |
| 2009 | 3.7% | +5.0% |
| 2010 | 4.0% | +7.4% |
| 2011 | 3.8% | -4.7% |
| 2012 | 2.5% | -34.8% |
| 2013 | 2.8% | +10.7% |
| 2014 | 2.2% | -20.8% |
| 2015 | 2.0% | -6.4% |
| 2016 | 1.8% | -12.2% |
| 2017 | 1.8% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 1.6% | -10.9% |
| 2019 | 1.4% | -10.5% |
| 2020 | 1.3% | -8.6% |
| 2021 | 1.4% | +6.1% |
| 2022 | 1.4% | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 1.1% | -22.1% |
| 2024 | 1.0% | -4.8% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 1.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.4%, 2.3× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 1.0% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.5%, 23% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 14.3% | 10.2% | 19.0% | 8 |
| 1980s | 14.5% | 10.9% | 17.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.8% | 4.0% | 11.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.8% | 3.1% | 4.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.4% | 1.4% | 4.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.4% | 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 taxes on international trade in South Korea?
- Taxes on international trade in South Korea was 1.0% in 2024, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest taxes on international trade recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 19.0% in 1978.
- What is the lowest taxes on international trade recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 2024.
- How does South Korea rank for taxes on international trade?
- South Korea ranks 114th out of 154 countries with data for 2024.
- Is taxes on international trade rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 52.5%. 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 Taxes on international trade (% of revenue). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 53 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Taxes on international trade are taxes that become payable when goods cross the national or customs frontiers of the economic territory or when transactions in services exchange between residents and non-residents. 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.