Latest reading: In April, the trade balance was USD +23.8 billion, following a USD +26.2 billion reading in the previous...
Merchandise Trade Balance in Korea
The merchandise trade balance in Korea averaged USD 45.3 billion in the decade to 2024. The 2024 reading was USD 51.8 billion. For more information on trade, visit our dedicated page.
Korea Trade Chart
Note: This chart displays Trade Balance (USD billion) for Korea from 2014 to 2025.
Source: Macrobond.
Korea Trade Data
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merchandise Trade Balance (USD bn) | 29.3 | -47.8 | -10.3 | 51.8 | 77.7 |
Merchandise trade surplus narrows in April
Latest reading: In April, the trade balance was USD +23.8 billion, following a USD +26.2 billion reading in the previous month. Over the last 12 months, the trade balance summed to USD +140.1 billion. Merchandise exports increased 48.0% in annual terms in April, following 49.2% growth in the prior month, fueled by strong AI investment and rising memory chip prices. Exports also jumped for petroleum products, boosted by rising oil prices due to the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict. Merchandise imports increased 16.7% in year-on-year terms in April, following 13.2% growth in the prior month. April's reading was the strongest since September 2022.
Consensus Forecasts and Projections for the next ten years
How should you choose a forecaster if some are too optimistic while others are too pessimistic? FocusEconomics collects Korean trade projections for the next ten years from a panel of 5 analysts at the leading national, regional and global forecast institutions. These projections are then validated by our in-house team of economists and data analysts and averaged to provide one Consensus Forecast you can rely on for each indicator. By averaging all forecasts, upside and downside forecasting errors tend to cancel each other out, leading to the most reliable trade forecast available for Korean trade.
Download one of our sample reports to visualize what a Consensus Forecast is and see our Korean trade projections.
Want to get access to the full dataset of Korean trade forecasts? Send an email to info@focus-economics.com.
Latest Global Trade News
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Korea: Merchandise trade surplus narrows in April -
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