Korea, Rep.: Net investment in nonfinancial assets (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Korea, Rep.'s net investment in nonfinancial assets (% of GDP) fell 0 percentage points on 2023 (from 1.31% to 1.31%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.02 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.36 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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 0.78 percentage points in 2004 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.95 percentage points in 2005. 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 25% 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 71st highest value of the 89 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

• South Africa — 68th of 89: 1.34%
• Mauritius — 69th of 89: 1.34%
• Costa Rica — 70th of 89: 1.34%
• Russian Federation — 72nd of 89: 1.3%
• Uruguay — 73rd of 89: 1.22%
• Moldova — 74th of 89: 1.14%

What this measures

Net investment in government nonfinancial assets includes fixed assets, inventories, valuables, and nonproduced assets. Nonfinancial assets are stores of value and provide benefits either through their use in the production of goods and services or in the form of property income and holding gains. Net investment in nonfinancial assets also includes consumption of fixed capital. 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.

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).

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

All 53 values

Net investment in nonfinancial assets (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Australia — 0.84% (2022)
• Cambodia — 5.17% (2023)
• Fiji — 0.86% (2024)
• Kiribati — 7.08% (2023)
• Lao PDR — 4.29% (2022)
• Macao SAR, China — 4.75% (2024)
• Malaysia — 4.37% (2024)
• Marshall Islands — 8.83% (2020)
• Micronesia, Fed. Sts. — 10.52% (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 lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) — -45.65 trillion (2024)
• Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP) — -1.79% (2024)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Korea, Rep.'s net investment in nonfinancial assets (% of GDP)?

1.31% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1972?

It is down 0.59 percentage points from 1.9% in 1972. The highest value was 1.96% in 2004 and the lowest 0.8% in 1990.

How does Korea, Rep. rank?

71st highest of 89 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in net investment in nonfinancial assets (% of GDP) unusual for Korea, Rep.?

In 2024, Korea, Rep.'s net investment in nonfinancial assets (% of GDP) fell 0 percentage points on 2023 (from 1.31% to 1.31%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.02 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.36 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.NFN.TOTL.GD.ZS, 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.

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