South Korea vs Thailand
South Korea vs Thailand: Arms exports
Arms exports: 2.02 billion TIV in South Korea in 2025 and 15 million TIV in Thailand in 2024, by SIPRI estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in South Korea, by 1.09 billion TIV, or 73 times that in Thailand.
SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- South Korea has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2003.
- The world as a whole: 30.7 billion TIV in 2024.
Every year
SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI
| Year | South Korea | Thailand | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.02 billion | – | 33.5 billion |
| 2024 | 1.1 billion | 15 million | 30.7 billion |
| 2023 | 675 million | – | 29.5 billion |
| 2022 | 231 million | – | 33.3 billion |
| 2021 | 536 million | 5 million | 27.1 billion |
| 2020 | 829 million | – | 24.1 billion |
| 2019 | 675 million | 2 million | 27 billion |
| 2018 | 1.05 billion | – | 27.4 billion |
| 2017 | 700 million | 4 million | 31.3 billion |
| 2016 | 435 million | 2 million | 31.5 billion |
| 2015 | 92 million | – | 28.7 billion |
| 2014 | 218 million | – | 27.1 billion |
| 2013 | 350 million | – | 27.4 billion |
| 2012 | 203 million | – | 27.9 billion |
| 2011 | 328 million | – | 29.9 billion |
| 2010 | 177 million | – | 25.8 billion |
| 2009 | 224 million | – | 24.4 billion |
| 2008 | 110 million | – | 24.1 billion |
| 2007 | 278 million | – | 26.5 billion |
| 2006 | 158 million | 79 million | 24.5 billion |
| 2005 | 109 million | – | 21.4 billion |
| 2004 | 74 million | 7 million | 21.3 billion |
| 2003 | 96 million | 7 million | 19.2 billion |
| 2002 | – | – | 17.7 billion |
| 2001 | 230 million | – | 18.5 billion |
| 2000 | 36 million | – | 20.5 billion |
| 1999 | – | – | 25.4 billion |
| 1998 | 32 million | – | 27.9 billion |
| 1997 | 25 million | – | 28.9 billion |
| 1996 | 24 million | – | 23.7 billion |
| 1995 | 30 million | – | 22.9 billion |
| 1994 | 7 million | – | 23 billion |
| 1993 | 62 million | – | 25.8 billion |
| 1992 | – | – | 24.3 billion |
| 1991 | 118 million | – | 28.2 billion |
| 1990 | 72 million | – | 30.2 billion |
| 1989 | 48 million | – | 34.9 billion |
| 1988 | 54 million | – | 36.8 billion |
| 1987 | – | – | 39.4 billion |
| 1986 | 73 million | – | 39 billion |
| 1985 | 28 million | – | 38.2 billion |
| 1984 | 126 million | – | 41.6 billion |
| 1983 | – | – | 43.9 billion |
| 1982 | 65 million | – | 46.2 billion |
| 1981 | 130 million | – | 45.8 billion |
| 1980 | 105 million | – | 42.2 billion |
| 1979 | 105 million | – | 38.4 billion |
| 1978 | – | – | 42.4 billion |
| 1977 | – | – | 40 billion |
| 1976 | – | – | 36 billion |
| 1975 | – | – | 37.2 billion |
| 1974 | – | – | 36.6 billion |
| 1973 | – | – | 36.3 billion |
| 1972 | 141 million | – | 34.5 billion |
| 1971 | – | – | 32.9 billion |
| 1970 | – | – | 25.3 billion |
| 1969 | – | – | 28.1 billion |
| 1968 | – | – | 26.1 billion |
| 1967 | – | – | 25.6 billion |
| 1966 | – | – | 25.8 billion |
| 1965 | – | – | 25.8 billion |
| 1964 | – | – | 26.7 billion |
| 1963 | – | – | 20.3 billion |
| 1962 | – | – | 17.5 billion |
| 1961 | – | – | 16.4 billion |
| 1960 | – | – | 17.6 billion |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Major weapons the country sent abroad, in SIPRI trend-indicator values (TIV): what the arms are worth as military capability, priced by their production cost, not what was paid.
- Source: SIPRI Arms Transfers Database, via the World Bank.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
South Korea vs Thailand
Health
- Life expectancySouth Korea: 84.3 years in 2023Thailand: 76.4 years in 2023
- Child mortalitySouth Korea: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024Thailand: 0.9 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalitySouth Korea: 2.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023Thailand: 6.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionSouth Korea: 3.17% in 2017Thailand: 3.09% in 2017
- Suicide rateSouth Korea: 20.8 per 100,000 people in 2017Thailand: 10.4 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationSouth Korea: 51.8 million people in 2023Thailand: 71.7 million people in 2023
- Population growthSouth Korea: -0.04% a year in 2023Thailand: -0.04% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateSouth Korea: 0.72 births per woman in 2023Thailand: 1.21 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationSouth Korea: 81.2% in 2025Thailand: 62.8% in 2025
- Median ageSouth Korea: 44.5 years in 2023Thailand: 39.7 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overSouth Korea: 18.3% in 2023Thailand: 14.7% in 2023
- Net migration rateSouth Korea: 1.7 per 1,000 people in 2023Thailand: 0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingSouth Korea: 2.6% of GDP in 2025Thailand: 1.04% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsSouth Korea: $48.9B in 2025Thailand: $5.57B in 2025
- Military spending per personSouth Korea: $924 in 2025Thailand: $84 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingSouth Korea: 10.8% of government spending in 2025Thailand: 4.4% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelSouth Korea: 569,000 people in 2020Thailand: 455,000 people in 2020
- National powerSouth Korea: 2% of world capability in 2022Thailand: 0.79% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersSouth Korea: 2.01% of the labour force in 2020Thailand: 1.13% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsSouth Korea: 222 million TIV in 2025Thailand: 33 million TIV in 2025