Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in South Korea
South Korea: Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? was 17.70 million tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
17.70 million tonnes
Change on year
down 6.6%
World rank
13th
of 192 countries
All-time high
18.96 million tonnes
in 2022
All-time low
507,000 tonnes
in 1962
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in South Korea, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in South Korea is 17.70 million tonnes, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 6.6% on the previous year and up 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in South Korea peaked at 18.96 million tonnes in 2022 and was at its lowest, 507,000 tonnes, in 1962.
South Korea ranks 13th of 192 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in South Korea, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 534,000 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 507,000 tonnes | -5.1% |
| 1963 | 1.27 million tonnes | +151.5% |
| 1964 | 664,000 tonnes | -47.9% |
| 1965 | 723,000 tonnes | +8.9% |
| 1966 | 638,000 tonnes | -11.8% |
| 1967 | 816,000 tonnes | +27.9% |
| 1968 | 1.31 million tonnes | +60.2% |
| 1969 | 2.43 million tonnes | +85.8% |
| 1970 | 2.09 million tonnes | -13.8% |
| 1971 | 3.04 million tonnes | +45.2% |
| 1972 | 3.27 million tonnes | +7.6% |
| 1973 | 3.24 million tonnes | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 2.63 million tonnes | -18.6% |
| 1975 | 3.04 million tonnes | +15.6% |
| 1976 | 2.96 million tonnes | -2.9% |
| 1977 | 3.70 million tonnes | +25.2% |
| 1978 | 3.68 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 1979 | 4.84 million tonnes | +31.5% |
| 1980 | 5.04 million tonnes | +4.3% |
| 1981 | 7.31 million tonnes | +45.0% |
| 1982 | 5.52 million tonnes | -24.4% |
| 1983 | 6.34 million tonnes | +14.9% |
| 1984 | 6.34 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 6.83 million tonnes | +7.7% |
| 1986 | 7.41 million tonnes | +8.5% |
| 1987 | 8.76 million tonnes | +18.2% |
| 1988 | 9.37 million tonnes | +7.0% |
| 1989 | 10.22 million tonnes | +9.1% |
| 1990 | 9.16 million tonnes | -10.4% |
| 1991 | 10.49 million tonnes | +14.6% |
| 1992 | 10.61 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 11.36 million tonnes | +7.1% |
| 1994 | 12.04 million tonnes | +6.0% |
| 1995 | 12.63 million tonnes | +4.9% |
| 1996 | 12.40 million tonnes | -1.8% |
| 1997 | 11.99 million tonnes | -3.3% |
| 1998 | 12.11 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 12.93 million tonnes | +6.8% |
| 2000 | 12.98 million tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 12.64 million tonnes | -2.6% |
| 2002 | 13.71 million tonnes | +8.5% |
| 2003 | 13.24 million tonnes | -3.4% |
| 2004 | 12.44 million tonnes | -6.1% |
| 2005 | 12.86 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 12.94 million tonnes | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 12.66 million tonnes | -2.1% |
| 2008 | 12.60 million tonnes | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 11.98 million tonnes | -4.9% |
| 2010 | 16.67 million tonnes | +39.2% |
| 2011 | 16.35 million tonnes | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 17.67 million tonnes | +8.1% |
| 2013 | 17.10 million tonnes | -3.2% |
| 2014 | 17.46 million tonnes | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 17.28 million tonnes | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 16.75 million tonnes | -3.1% |
| 2017 | 16.29 million tonnes | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 16.44 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 17.16 million tonnes | +4.3% |
| 2020 | 17.90 million tonnes | +4.3% |
| 2021 | 18.74 million tonnes | +4.7% |
| 2022 | 18.96 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 17.70 million tonnes | -6.6% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 17.70 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.55 million tonnes, 11.4× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 17.70 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 467,000 tonnes, 37.9× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in South 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | +151.5% | 507,000 tonnes | 1.27 million tonnes |
| 1969 | +85.8% | 1.31 million tonnes | 2.43 million tonnes |
| 1968 | +60.2% | 816,000 tonnes | 1.31 million tonnes |
| 1964 | -47.9% | 1.27 million tonnes | 664,000 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 988,000 tonnes | 507,000 tonnes | 2.43 million tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 3.25 million tonnes | 2.09 million tonnes | 4.84 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.32 million tonnes | 5.04 million tonnes | 10.22 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.57 million tonnes | 9.16 million tonnes | 12.93 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.80 million tonnes | 11.98 million tonnes | 13.71 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.92 million tonnes | 16.29 million tonnes | 17.67 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.33 million tonnes | 17.70 million tonnes | 18.96 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More agriculture & rural data for South Korea
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 0.2516 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0146 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 530.46 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1591 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1883 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.8% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in South Korea?
- Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in South Korea was 17.70 million tonnes in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 18.96 million tonnes in 2022.
- What is the lowest cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 507,000 tonnes in 1962.
- How does South Korea rank for cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters??
- South Korea ranks 13th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters?. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Imports and exports are measured as the net sum of all cereal crop varieties. Countries which lie above the grey line are net importers of cereals; those below the line are net exporters.