International debt issues to GDP (%) in Korea
Korea: International debt issues to GDP (%) was 13.8% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
International debt issues to GDP in Korea, 1983–2020
Source: Bank for International Settlements (BIS). Measured in %.
Analysis
Korea recorded 13.8% for international debt issues to gdp in 2020. That is the highest value across all 38 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.1% on the previous year and up 17.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international debt issues to gdp in Korea peaked at 13.8% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 1983.
Korea ranks 78th of 116 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
International debt issues to GDP (%) in Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 0.5% | — |
| 1984 | 1.2% | +116.0% |
| 1985 | 2.7% | +130.0% |
| 1986 | 3.3% | +24.1% |
| 1987 | 3.5% | +5.9% |
| 1988 | 2.4% | -31.2% |
| 1989 | 1.8% | -27.0% |
| 1990 | 1.6% | -9.4% |
| 1991 | 2.2% | +36.5% |
| 1992 | 2.8% | +29.5% |
| 1993 | 3.8% | +34.5% |
| 1994 | 4.2% | +10.3% |
| 1995 | 4.8% | +12.8% |
| 1996 | 7.0% | +46.5% |
| 1997 | 8.9% | +27.6% |
| 1998 | 13.8% | +55.3% |
| 1999 | 10.0% | -27.6% |
| 2000 | 8.6% | -14.1% |
| 2001 | 8.5% | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 8.4% | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 8.7% | +3.8% |
| 2004 | 8.9% | +2.7% |
| 2005 | 8.6% | -3.8% |
| 2006 | 9.2% | +6.5% |
| 2007 | 9.4% | +3.0% |
| 2008 | 10.1% | +7.3% |
| 2009 | 13.2% | +31.0% |
| 2010 | 11.7% | -11.5% |
| 2011 | 12.1% | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 12.9% | +6.3% |
| 2013 | 13.3% | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 12.5% | -5.5% |
| 2015 | 12.0% | -4.3% |
| 2016 | 11.6% | -3.5% |
| 2017 | 11.4% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 11.6% | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 13.3% | +14.5% |
| 2020 | 13.8% | +4.1% |
Korea compared with similar countries
- Korea's 13.8% is below the median for high income countries, which is 41.4%, 33% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Korea's 13.8% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 14.1%, 98% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where International debt issues to GDP (%) in Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | +130.0% | 1.2% | 2.7% |
| 1984 | +116.0% | 0.5% | 1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.2% | 0.5% | 3.5% | 7 |
| 1990s | 5.9% | 1.6% | 13.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.4% | 8.4% | 13.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.2% | 11.4% | 13.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.8% | 13.8% | 13.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Korea
More financial sector data for Korea
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, annual growth rate 6.29 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0016 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per capita 58.67 units per person (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, annual growth rate 1.21 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0012 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per capita 42.84 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, annual growth rate 6.29 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0016 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per capita 58.67 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, SDR, annual growth rate 1.21 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international debt issues to gdp in Korea?
- International debt issues to gdp in Korea was 13.8% in 2020, according to Bank for International Settlements (BIS).
- What is the highest international debt issues to gdp recorded in Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 13.8% in 2020.
- What is the lowest international debt issues to gdp recorded in Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 1983.
- How does Korea rank for international debt issues to gdp?
- Korea ranks 78th out of 116 countries with data for 2020.
- Is international debt issues to gdp rising or falling in Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Bank for International Settlements (BIS), published as part of International debt issues to GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total value of outstanding international debt issues both public and private, as a share of GDP. Offshore bank loan data from BIS Statistical Appendix Table 12A (Amount Outstanding): International debt securities - all issuers.