Money sent or brought back by migrants as a share of GDP in South Korea
South Korea: Money sent or brought back by migrants as a share of GDP was 0.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Money sent or brought back by migrants as a share of GDP in South Korea, 1976–2025
Source: World Bank staff estimates based on IMF and OECD data (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for money sent or brought back by migrants as a share of gdp in South Korea is 0.4%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.8% on the previous year and down 10.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, money sent or brought back by migrants as a share of gdp in South Korea peaked at 1.4% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1979.
That places South Korea 153rd out of 194 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 50 years of available data.
Money sent or brought back by migrants as a share of GDP in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 0.2% | — |
| 1977 | 0.3% | +70.4% |
| 1978 | 0.2% | -24.6% |
| 1979 | 0.1% | -25.4% |
| 1980 | 0.8% | +469.9% |
| 1981 | 0.9% | +10.0% |
| 1982 | 1.0% | +5.6% |
| 1983 | 1.0% | +4.7% |
| 1984 | 0.9% | -7.7% |
| 1985 | 1.1% | +17.7% |
| 1986 | 1.4% | +29.7% |
| 1987 | 1.4% | -6.0% |
| 1988 | 1.2% | -10.4% |
| 1989 | 0.9% | -29.4% |
| 1990 | 0.8% | -4.0% |
| 1991 | 0.8% | -4.9% |
| 1992 | 0.8% | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 0.7% | -10.8% |
| 1994 | 0.6% | -9.5% |
| 1995 | 0.6% | -13.2% |
| 1996 | 0.5% | -5.0% |
| 1997 | 0.7% | +24.1% |
| 1998 | 1.2% | +89.1% |
| 1999 | 0.8% | -32.6% |
| 2000 | 0.8% | -9.9% |
| 2001 | 0.8% | +5.1% |
| 2002 | 0.8% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 0.8% | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 0.7% | -10.6% |
| 2005 | 0.5% | -25.8% |
| 2006 | 0.4% | -17.3% |
| 2007 | 0.4% | -4.6% |
| 2008 | 0.6% | +51.4% |
| 2009 | 0.6% | -4.5% |
| 2010 | 0.5% | -19.6% |
| 2011 | 0.5% | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 0.5% | -2.3% |
| 2013 | 0.5% | -8.5% |
| 2014 | 0.4% | -6.4% |
| 2015 | 0.4% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 0.4% | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 0.4% | -7.6% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 0.4% | +4.8% |
| 2020 | 0.4% | +5.2% |
| 2021 | 0.4% | -6.8% |
| 2022 | 0.4% | +8.9% |
| 2023 | 0.4% | -11.8% |
| 2024 | 0.4% | +0.8% |
| 2025 | 0.4% | -2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 4 |
| 1980s | 1.1% | 0.8% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8% | 0.5% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.7% | 0.4% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More population data for South Korea
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -1.44 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -2.17 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -1.44 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -1.17 % change on previous year (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.3601 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -1.4% (2100)
- Population density 223.86 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 599,530 people (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -1.4% (2100)
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas, annual growth rate -0.0908 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is money sent or brought back by migrants as a share of gdp in South Korea?
- Money sent or brought back by migrants as a share of gdp in South Korea was 0.4% in 2025, according to World Bank staff estimates based on IMF and OECD data (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest money sent or brought back by migrants as a share of gdp recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 1.4% in 1986.
- What is the lowest money sent or brought back by migrants as a share of gdp recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1979.
- How does South Korea rank for money sent or brought back by migrants as a share of gdp?
- South Korea ranks 153rd out of 194 countries with data for 2025.
- Is money sent or brought back by migrants as a share of gdp rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank staff estimates based on IMF and OECD data (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Money sent or brought back by migrants as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Money sent or brought back by migrants refers to remittances a country has received in this year.