📊 South Korea Countries Intelligence

South Korea's economy is estimated to have grown +1.9% in 2026, with inflation at 2.5% and unemployment at 2.8%. Government debt stands at 54.4% of GDP, and the budget balance is -1.5% of GDP.

Economic Indicators

GDP (nominal)
$1.93tn
2026 est.
GDP Growth
+1.9%
2026 est.
Inflation Rate
2.5%
2026 est.
Interest Rate
3.0%
2026 est.
Jobless Rate
2.8%
2026 est.
Gov. Budget Balance
-1.5%
2026 est.
Debt / GDP
54.4%
2026 est.
Current Account
+5.6%
2026 est.
Population
51.6M
2026 est.
Main Economic Activity
Manufacturing 27.4%
2025, % of GDP
Agriculture
1.5%
Manufacturing
27.4%
Services
57.2%
Natural resource rents
0.0%
Source: World Bank Open Data (value added / resource rents, % of GDP). Agriculture, Manufacturing and Services are named sub-categories; Natural resource rents (gold bar) is a separate accounting concept that overlaps with the others rather than adding to 100% of GDP.

Sovereign Credit Ratings

S&P
AA
Fitch
AA−
Moody's
Aa2

Source: Wikipedia — List of countries by credit rating. NR = not rated by that agency.

⚡ 6 Effects Interpreter — Synthesis

🌍World Economy

  • ▶South Korea's growth trend feeds modestly into regional trade flows.
  • ▶A current-account surplus means South Korea is a net capital exporter to the rest of the world.

🏙️Local Economy

  • ▶A tight local labour market keeps job openings plentiful for workers.
  • ▶Inflation is running at a moderate, manageable pace.

🏦Rates & Banks

  • ▶The benchmark lending rate sits near 3.0%, shaping the cost of mortgages and business loans.
  • ▶Public debt levels leave a moderate amount of policy room.

❤️Health

  • ▶No unusual macro-driven health strain is implied by the current data.
  • ▶Public-health funding is shaped by the government budget balance shown above.

💷Wealth

  • ▶Savings are keeping pace reasonably well with the cost of living.
  • ▶The budget position implies no unusual near-term tax pressure.

🏠Housing

  • ▶Mortgage costs track the benchmark interest rate shown above.
  • ▶Housing demand broadly tracks the pace of overall economic growth.

Synthesis generated by the News Effects 6 Effects Interpreter's rule-based engine from the real indicators above. Indicators: IMF DataMapper & World Bank Open Data.