Korea, Rep.: Net acquisition of financial assets (current LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Korea, Rep.'s net acquisition of financial assets (current LCU) fell 32.16 trillion on 2023 (from 37.73 trillion to 5.57 trillion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +1.08 trillion and a typical year strayed about 19.45 trillion from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 59.85 trillion in 2008 and the biggest yearly fall was 54.24 trillion in 2022. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 20% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

In 2024, Korea, Rep. had the 5th highest value of the 57 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 2024 ranking

• Argentina — 2nd of 57: 21.57 trillion
• Colombia — 3rd of 57: 18.85 trillion
• Russian Federation — 4th of 57: 5.75 trillion
• Tanzania — 6th of 57: 3.28 trillion
• Mongolia — 7th of 57: 1.88 trillion
• Türkiye — 8th of 57: 966.35 billion

What this measures

Net acquisition of government financial assets includes domestic and foreign financial claims, SDRs, and gold bullion held by monetary authorities as a reserve asset. The net acquisition of financial assets should be offset by the net incurrence of liabilities. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

All 35 values

Net acquisition of financial assets (current LCU) in nearby economies

• Australia — 50.08 billion (2022)
• Cambodia — -939.83 billion (2023)
• Fiji — 364.09 million (2024)
• Kiribati — -19.05 million (2023)
• Lao PDR — 1.84 trillion (2022)
• Macao SAR, China — 27.87 billion (2024)
• Malaysia — -3.26 billion (2024)
• Marshall Islands — 11.88 million (2020)
• Micronesia, Fed. Sts. — 31.42 million (2020)
• Mongolia

More public sector data for Korea, Rep.

• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 222 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current USD) — 47.77 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 67.92 trillion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 2.6% (2025)
• Net incurrence of liabilities, total (current LCU) — 51.22 trillion (2024)
• Net incurrence of liabilities, total (% of GDP) — 2% (2024)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (current LCU) — 33.54 trillion (2024)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (% of GDP) — 1.31% (2024)
• Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) — -45.65 trillion (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 net acquisition of financial assets (current LCU)?

5.57 trillion in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is up 50.77% from 3.7 trillion in 1990 (1.22% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 99.76 trillion in 2021 and the lowest -21.78 trillion in 2003.

How does Korea, Rep. rank?

5th highest of 57 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in net acquisition of financial assets (current LCU) unusual for Korea, Rep.?

In 2024, Korea, Rep.'s net acquisition of financial assets (current LCU) fell 32.16 trillion on 2023 (from 37.73 trillion to 5.57 trillion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +1.08 trillion and a typical year strayed about 19.45 trillion from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.AST.TOTL.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) 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.