Korea, Rep. vs Germany
Side-by-side economic and demographic comparison · 2026 data · Source: IMF & World Bank
South Korea and Germany are two of the world's leading industrial exporters, with economies of comparable size on a per-capita basis. Germany's GDP is roughly four times larger overall, but South Korea invests a higher share of GDP in R&D (4.8% vs 3.1%). South Korea leads in semiconductor manufacturing and consumer electronics, while Germany dominates in automotive, chemicals, and industrial machinery. Both face severe demographic challenges — South Korea's fertility rate (below 0.8) is the world's lowest, even worse than Germany's. Both economies are heavily export-dependent and vulnerable to global trade slowdowns.
Korea, Rep. has a GDP of $1.94T compared to Germany's $5.33T, making it 2.8x smaller. Korea, Rep.'s population is 51.8M vs Germany's 83.5M. Across 12 key indicators, Germany leads in 7 categories. All data sourced from the IMF World Economic Outlook and World Bank World Development Indicators.
| Indicator |  Korea, Rep. |  Germany |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $1.94T | $5.33T✓ |
| GDP per Capita | $37,523 | $63,600✓ |
| GDP Growth (%) | 1.8%✓ | 0.9% |
| GDP per Capita (PPP) | $67,554 | $75,480✓ |
| Population | 51.8M | 83.5M✓ |
| Life Expectancy | 83.4 years✓ | 80.5 years |
| Inflation (%) | 1.8% | 1.8% |
| Unemployment (%) | 3.0%✓ | 3.4% |
| Govt Debt (% GDP) | 56.7%✓ | 66.0% |
| Fertility Rate | 0.7 | 1.4✓ |
| Gini Index | 32.9 | 32.4✓ |
| CO₂ per Capita (t) | 11.4 | 6.9✓ |
Summary
Korea, Rep. has a GDP of $1.94T compared to Germany's $5.33T, making the latter economy 2.8x larger. In terms of population, Korea, Rep. has 51.8M people while Germany has 83.5M. Across the 12 indicators compared, Korea, Rep. leads in 4 and Germany leads in 7.
Korea, Rep.Germany