South Korea vs United States

South Korea vs United States: GDP growth

GDP growth in 2025: 1.1% a year in South Korea and 2.3% a year in United States, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in United States, by 1.2 percentage points, or 2.06 times that in South Korea.

Watch it change on the map

% a year · IMF

South Korea vs United States: GDP growthGDP growth in 2025: 1.1% a year in South Korea and 2.3% a year in United States, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in United States, by 1.2 percentage points, or 2.06 times that in South Korea.
South KoreaUnited StatesIMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)

What the numbers say

  • United States has been higher since 2023, when it overtook South Korea.
  • In 2025, South Korea ranked 119 and United States ranked 97 of 143 countries, counting from the highest.
  • The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts South Korea at 1.9% a year and United States at 1.8% a year in 2031.

Every year

% a year · IMF

YearSouth KoreaUnited States
20251.12.3
20242.23
20231.52.9
20222.92.4
20214.76.3
2020-0.7-2.1
20192.32.6
20183.23
20173.42.5
20163.21.8
20152.92.9
20143.22.5
20133.32.1
20122.52.3
20113.71.6
201072.7
20090.8-2.6
200830.1
20075.82
20065.22.8
20054.43.5
20045.23.8
20033.12.8
20027.71.7
20014.71
20009.24.1
199911.64.8
1998-4.94.5
19976.34.4
199683.8
19959.72.7
19949.44
199372.8
19926.43.5
199110.9-0.1
1990101.9
19897.23.7
198812.14.2
198712.93.5
198611.53.5
19857.94.2
198410.67.2
198313.54.6
19828.5-1.8
19817.42.5
1980-1.5-0.3
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
YearSouth KoreaUnited States
20263.32.3
20272.82.3
20282.32.1
20292.11.9
20301.91.8
20311.91.8

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

South Korea vs United States

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