Israel vs South Korea
Israel vs South Korea: Government debt
Government debt: 67.9% of GDP in Israel in 2025 and 49.6% of GDP in South Korea in 2024, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Israel, by 18.1 percentage points, or 1.37 times that in South Korea.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- Israel has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2012.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Israel at 72.7% of GDP and South Korea at 49.7% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Israel | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 67.9 | 52.4 |
| 2024 | 67.7 | 49.6 |
| 2023 | 61.9 | 50.6 |
| 2022 | 60.9 | 49.7 |
| 2021 | 68.2 | 48 |
| 2020 | 71.4 | 45.9 |
| 2019 | 59.5 | 39.7 |
| 2018 | 60.3 | 37.9 |
| 2017 | 60.1 | 38 |
| 2016 | 62 | 39.1 |
| 2015 | 63.2 | 38.8 |
| 2014 | 66.1 | 37.9 |
| 2013 | 66.4 | 36 |
| 2012 | 67.2 | 33.5 |
| 2011 | 67.5 | – |
| 2010 | 69.4 | – |
| 2009 | 73 | – |
| 2008 | 70.6 | – |
| 2007 | 71.2 | – |
| 2006 | 78.1 | – |
| 2005 | 85.7 | – |
| 2004 | 88.7 | – |
| 2003 | 90.1 | – |
| 2002 | 87.6 | – |
| 2001 | 81.4 | – |
| 2000 | 77.5 | – |
- 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Israel | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 68.8 | 47.3 |
| 2027 | 69.5 | 46.2 |
| 2028 | 70.5 | 47 |
| 2029 | 71.2 | 48.2 |
| 2030 | 71.9 | 49.2 |
| 2031 | 72.7 | 49.7 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the government owes, as a share of the economy’s yearly output.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 149 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Israel vs South Korea
Health
- Life expectancyIsrael: 82.4 years in 2023South Korea: 84.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalityIsrael: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024South Korea: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityIsrael: 2.8 per 1,000 live births in 2023South Korea: 2.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterIsrael: 99.5% in 2022South Korea: 99.3% in 2022
- DepressionIsrael: 3.83% in 2017South Korea: 3.17% in 2017
- Suicide rateIsrael: 5.7 per 100,000 people in 2017South Korea: 20.8 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationIsrael: 9.26 million people in 2023South Korea: 51.8 million people in 2023
- Population growthIsrael: 1.42% a year in 2023South Korea: -0.04% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateIsrael: 2.83 births per woman in 2023South Korea: 0.72 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationIsrael: 91.6% in 2025South Korea: 81.2% in 2025
- Median ageIsrael: 29.2 years in 2023South Korea: 44.5 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overIsrael: 12.4% in 2023South Korea: 18.3% in 2023
- Net migration rateIsrael: 1.1 per 1,000 people in 2023South Korea: 1.7 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingIsrael: 7.81% of GDP in 2025South Korea: 2.6% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsIsrael: $43.7B in 2025South Korea: $48.9B in 2025
- Military spending per personIsrael: $5,108 in 2025South Korea: $924 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingIsrael: 17.8% of government spending in 2025South Korea: 10.8% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelIsrael: 178,000 people in 2020South Korea: 569,000 people in 2020
- National powerIsrael: 0.38% of world capability in 2022South Korea: 2% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersIsrael: 4.23% of the labour force in 2020South Korea: 2.01% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsIsrael: 537 million TIV in 2025South Korea: 222 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsIsrael: 2.62 billion TIV in 2025South Korea: 2.02 billion TIV in 2025