Gross debt, General government, Percent of fiscal year GDP in South Korea
South Korea: Gross debt, General government, Percent of fiscal year GDP was 37.89 in 2015. ◆ Volatile
Gross debt, General government, Percent of fiscal year GDP in South Korea, 1958–2015
Source: International Monetary Fund.
Analysis
The most recent figure for gross debt, general government, percent of fiscal year gdp in South Korea is 37.89, measured in 2015. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is up 5.6% on the previous year and up 40.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gross debt, general government, percent of fiscal year gdp in South Korea peaked at 37.89 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 2.63, in 1969.
South Korea ranks 125th of 188 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Gross debt, General government, Percent of fiscal year GDP in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1958 | 16.89 | — |
| 1960 | 13.69 | -18.9% |
| 1961 | 13.37 | -2.3% |
| 1962 | 13.04 | -2.5% |
| 1963 | 9.21 | -29.4% |
| 1964 | 6.57 | -28.7% |
| 1965 | 6.14 | -6.4% |
| 1966 | 4.44 | -27.7% |
| 1967 | 3.74 | -15.9% |
| 1968 | 2.76 | -26.2% |
| 1969 | 2.63 | -4.6% |
| 1971 | 11.27 | +328.3% |
| 1972 | 16.19 | +43.6% |
| 1973 | 15.91 | -1.7% |
| 1974 | 16.55 | +4.0% |
| 1975 | 18.88 | +14.1% |
| 1976 | 17.07 | -9.6% |
| 1977 | 18.38 | +7.6% |
| 1978 | 16.82 | -8.5% |
| 1979 | 14.1 | -16.1% |
| 1980 | 16.96 | +20.3% |
| 1981 | 18.86 | +11.2% |
| 1982 | 21.29 | +12.9% |
| 1983 | 20.46 | -3.9% |
| 1984 | 20.73 | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 21.46 | +3.6% |
| 1986 | 18.99 | -11.5% |
| 1987 | 16.56 | -12.8% |
| 1988 | 13.52 | -18.3% |
| 1989 | 10.38 | -23.2% |
| 1990 | 8.4 | -19.1% |
| 1991 | 7.81 | -7.1% |
| 1992 | 7.71 | -1.3% |
| 1993 | 7.54 | -2.1% |
| 1994 | 7.7 | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 7.11 | -7.7% |
| 1996 | 6.82 | -4.0% |
| 1997 | 10.25 | +50.2% |
| 1998 | 14.67 | +43.2% |
| 1999 | 16.75 | +14.2% |
| 2000 | 17.11 | +2.2% |
| 2001 | 17.7 | +3.4% |
| 2002 | 17.55 | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 20.45 | +16.5% |
| 2004 | 23.25 | +13.7% |
| 2005 | 26.96 | +15.9% |
| 2006 | 29.27 | +8.6% |
| 2007 | 28.65 | -2.1% |
| 2008 | 28.16 | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 31.38 | +11.4% |
| 2010 | 30.83 | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 31.51 | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 32.13 | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 33.76 | +5.1% |
| 2014 | 35.88 | +6.3% |
| 2015 | 37.89 | +5.6% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 37.89 is below the median for high income countries, which is 52.98, 72% of the median. (61 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 37.89 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 37.64, 1.0× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Gross debt, General government, Percent of fiscal year GDP in South Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | +328.3% | 2.63 | 11.27 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 16.89 | 16.89 | 16.89 | 1 |
| 1960s | 7.56 | 2.63 | 13.69 | 10 |
| 1970s | 16.13 | 11.27 | 18.88 | 9 |
| 1980s | 17.92 | 10.38 | 21.46 | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.47 | 6.82 | 16.75 | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.05 | 17.11 | 31.38 | 10 |
| 2010s | 33.66 | 30.83 | 37.89 | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More external debt data for South Korea
- Net financial flows, IBRD 0 NFL, current US$ (2025)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per capita 0 NFL, current US$ per person (2015)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per unit of GDP 0 NFL, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2015)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per square kilometre 0 NFL, current US$ per square kilometre (2015)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), annual growth rate 100 % change on previous year (2010)
- Net financial flows, IBRD (NFL, current US$), annual growth rate 100 % change on previous year (2014)
- Other investment, Debt instruments 309.08 billion US dollar (2025)
- Other investment, Debt instruments (Assets, Positions, US dollar) 7.57 % change on previous year (2025)
- Other investment, Debt instruments, Deposit taking corporations 188.50 billion US dollar (2025)
- Other investment, Debt instruments (Assets, Positions, US dollar) 5,980 US dollar per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gross debt, general government, percent of fiscal year gdp in South Korea?
- Gross debt, general government, percent of fiscal year gdp in South Korea was 37.89 in 2015, according to International Monetary Fund.
- What is the highest gross debt, general government, percent of fiscal year gdp recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 37.89 in 2015.
- What is the lowest gross debt, general government, percent of fiscal year gdp recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.63 in 1969.
- How does South Korea rank for gross debt, general government, percent of fiscal year gdp?
- South Korea ranks 125th out of 188 countries with data for 2015.
- Is gross debt, general government, percent of fiscal year gdp rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 40.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Gross debt, General government, Percent of fiscal year GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The Historical Public Debt Database contains unbalanced panel data on Gross Domestic Product, Gross Government Debt, and Debt to GDP Ratio for 187 countries. The series spans the years 1800 through 2015 although each country’s data depends on its date of independence and data availability.