Saudi Arabia vs South Korea

Saudi Arabia vs South Korea: GDP growth

GDP growth in 2025: 4.6% a year in Saudi Arabia and 1.1% a year in South Korea, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 3.5 percentage points, or 4.03 times that in South Korea.

Watch it change on the map

% a year · IMF

Saudi Arabia vs South Korea: GDP growthGDP growth in 2025: 4.6% a year in Saudi Arabia and 1.1% a year in South Korea, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 3.5 percentage points, or 4.03 times that in South Korea.
Saudi ArabiaSouth KoreaIMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)

What the numbers say

  • Saudi Arabia has been higher since 2024, when it overtook South Korea.
  • In 2025, Saudi Arabia ranked 44 and South Korea ranked 119 of 143 countries, counting from the highest.
  • The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Saudi Arabia at 3.6% a year and South Korea at 1.9% a year in 2031.

Every year

% a year · IMF

YearSaudi ArabiaSouth Korea
20254.61.1
20242.62.2
20230.51.5
2022122.9
20216.54.7
2020-3.8-0.7
20191.72.3
20183.23.2
20171.23.4
20161.73.2
20154.72.9
201443.2
20132.93.3
20125.82.5
201111.83.7
201057
2009-1.10.8
20086.23
20072.25.8
20063.35.2
20055.94.4
20048.65.2
20038.83.1
2002-0.77.7
20010.34.7
20004.79.2
1999-0.611.6
19982.8-4.9
19972.66.3
19963.38
19950.39.7
199419.4
19930.47
19924.66.4
19918.210.9
19909.410
19890.47.2
19886.612.1
1987-3.112.9
1986111.5
1985-7.27.9
1984-410.6
1983-1113.5
1982-16.18.5
198137.4
19805.8-1.5
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
YearSaudi ArabiaSouth Korea
2026-3.33.3
20277.92.8
20284.82.3
20293.42.1
20303.51.9
20313.61.9

Each country on its own

Good to know

  • How much the economy grew or shrank in a year, after inflation.
  • 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 143 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

Saudi Arabia vs South Korea

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