Korea, Rep.: Listed domestic companies, total

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Korea, Rep.'s listed domestic companies, total rose 2.1% on 2024 (from 2,599 to 2,653).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +5.1% and a typical year strayed about 13.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 74.4% in 2000 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.8% in 1999. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about 68.41 a year. A straight line explains 100% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 2,887 for 2028. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2023 to 2025 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 10.89, against 150 for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2025, Korea, Rep. had the 6th highest value of the 64 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Korea, Rep. in the 2025 ranking

• Canada — 3rd of 64: 4,377
• Japan — 4th of 64: 3,942
• United States — 5th of 64: 3,908
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 7th of 64: 2,508
• Australia — 8th of 64: 1,782
• Malaysia — 9th of 64: 1,072

What this measures

Listed domestic companies, including foreign companies which are exclusively listed, are those which have shares listed on an exchange at the end of the year. Investment funds, unit trusts, and companies whose only business goal is to hold shares of other listed companies, such as holding companies and investment companies, regardless of their legal status, are excluded. A company with several classes of shares is counted once. Only companies admitted to listing on the exchange are included.

Limitations: Data cover measures of size (market capitalization, number of listed domestic companies) and liquidity (value of shares traded as a percentage of gross domestic product, value of shares traded as a percentage of market capitalization). The comparability of such data across countries may be limited by conceptual and statistical weaknesses, such as inaccurate reporting and differences in accounting standards.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 47 values

Listed domestic companies, total in nearby economies

• Australia — 1,782 (2025)
• China — 11,149 (2025)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 2,508 (2025)
• Indonesia — 956 (2025)
• Japan — 3,942 (2025)
• Malaysia — 1,072 (2025)
• New Zealand — 106 (2025)
• Papua New Guinea — 6 (2016)
• Philippines — 279 (2025)
• Singapore — 394 (2025)
• Thailand — 868 (2025)

More financial sector data for Korea, Rep.

• Consumer price index (2010 = 100) — 135 (2025)
• Inflation, consumer prices (annual % growth) — 2.12% (2025)
• GDP deflator (base year varies by country) — 115.03 (2025)
• DEC alternative conversion factor (LCU per US$) — US$1,422 (2025)
• Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) — US$1,422 (2025)
• Domestic credit to private sector by banks (% of GDP) — 160.35% (2024)
• Net domestic credit (current LCU) — 5,011.73 trillion (2024)
• Net foreign assets (current LCU) — 627.85 trillion (2024)
• Monetary sector credit to private sector (% of GDP) — 160.35% (2024)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Korea, Rep.'s listed domestic companies, total?

2,653 in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1979?

It is up 647.32% from 355 in 1979 (4.47% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 2,653 in 2025 and the lowest 328 in 1983.

How does Korea, Rep. rank?

6th highest of 64 economies with data for 2025.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator CM.MKT.LDOM.NO, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Federation of Exchanges database, World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.