Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in Korea
Korea: Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public was 16.2% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Latest (2022)
16.2%
Change on year
down 3.7%
World rank
17th
of 124 countries
All-time high
20.7%
in 1998
All-time low
13.8%
in 2016
Years of data
9
1998–2022
Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in Korea, 1998–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Korea recorded 16.2% for capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in 2022.
That represents a change of down 3.7% on the previous year and up 17.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in Korea peaked at 20.7% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 13.8%, in 2016.
That places Korea 17th out of 124 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 20.7% | — |
| 1999 | 17.8% | -13.9% |
| 2016 | 13.8% | -22.8% |
| 2017 | 15.0% | +9.0% |
| 2018 | 15.3% | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 17.3% | +13.5% |
| 2020 | 18.5% | +7.1% |
| 2021 | 16.8% | -9.5% |
| 2022 | 16.2% | -3.7% |
Korea compared with similar countries
- Korea's 16.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 7.9%, 2.0× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Korea's 16.2% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 10.4%, 1.6× the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 19.3% | 17.8% | 20.7% | 2 |
| 2010s | 15.3% | 13.8% | 17.3% | 4 |
| 2020s | 17.2% | 16.2% | 18.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Korea
- 14 Turks and Caicos Islands 18.8% compare
- 15 Hong Kong, China 18.2% compare
- 16 Albania 17.5% compare
- 18 Macau, China 15.8% compare
- 19 Côte d'Ivoire 15.6% compare
- 20 Lao People's Democratic Republic 15.0% compare
More education data for Korea
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 233,046 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 76 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 434,627 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 412,067 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.66 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.51 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -4.15 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0484 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in Korea?
- Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public in Korea was 16.2% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public recorded in Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 20.7% in 1998.
- What is the lowest capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public recorded in Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.8% in 2016.
- How does Korea rank for capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public?
- Korea ranks 17th out of 124 countries with data for 2022.
- Is capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public rising or falling in Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Capital expenditure as a percentage of total expenditure in public institutions (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release