EASTERN ASIA · INVESTMENT GUIDE

South Korea: investment climate and market data

South Korea scores 78 out of 100 on the Invest Global investability score (low risk), ranking 15 of 199 countries. Its strongest pillar is macro and financial stability (97) and its weakest is growth and upside (27).

78/ 100 · Low risk · grade A · High confidence
GDP
$1.87 trillion
2025 · World Bank
Real GDP growth
1.0%
2025 · World Bank
Inflation
2.1%
2025 · World Bank
FDI inflows
0.8% of GDP
2025 · World Bank
Government debt
52% of GDP
2025 · IMF
Reserves
6.5 months of imports
2025 · World Bank
Population
51.7 million
2025 · World Bank
GDP per person
$36,227
2025 · World Bank

Why South Korea scores 78

Institutions and rule of law25%85
Openness to foreign investment20%62
Macro and financial stability18%97
Political stability and security10%87
Growth and upside12%27
Market depth and infrastructure15%97

Six weighted pillars from World Bank, OECD and IMF indicators. See the method, weights and every country.

Openness to foreign investors

The OECD FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness Index for South Korea is 0.10 on a scale from 0 (fully open) to 1 (closed), as of 2025. That is moderately open, with some sector limits.

Where South Korea is most exposed by sector

Industrials and Manufacturing
92
High exposure
Technology
89
High exposure
Financials and Fintech
75
High exposure
Healthcare
72
High exposure

Exposure scores show how important each sector is to the economy, not how attractive it is to invest in. Browse all sectors.

Natural resources

109 mines and deposits are mapped in South Korea. Power capacity is 99 GW. See the minerals, mines and power plants.

Go deeper on South Korea

The interactive profile adds ownership rules, residency routes, FDI flows and infrastructure. The Terminal lets you screen and compare 199 markets side by side and export the data. Need a tailored view of one market?

Educational research, not investment, legal or tax advice. Scores are screening tools built from public data and are not forecasts or ratings. Figures are the latest available from the named source and may lag. Confirm everything with local advisers before committing capital. Sources: World Bank WDI and WGI, IMF World Economic Outlook, OECD. Data as of 2026-10-09.