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Where does South Korea get its cars? Import sources 2024

In 2024, South Korea imported $12.2 billion of cars (562 thousand tonnes), 1.3% of the world total. Its main sources were Germany (44%), the United States (17%) and China (13%). South Korea was the world’s 19th-largest importer of cars.

Summary

Value
$12.2billion
Tonnes
562thousand tonnes
Share of world total
1.3%
World rank
19th
Routes from the main sources. Width: value; color: estimated transport mode.SeaAirLand

Sources

The 20 main sources in the latest year.

PartnerValue (USD billions)TonnesUSD per tonneShareMode
Germany5.4Tonnes: 235,590USD per tonne: $22,86644.3%Sea
United States2.1Tonnes: 95,122USD per tonne: $22,01017.2%Sea
China1.6Tonnes: 100,201USD per tonne: $15,48712.8%Sea
Japan0.71Tonnes: 43,349USD per tonne: $16,2725.8%Sea
United Kingdom0.61Tonnes: 17,536USD per tonne: $34,7845%Sea
Slovakia0.39Tonnes: 12,141USD per tonne: $31,8943.2%Sea
Sweden0.31Tonnes: 15,877USD per tonne: $19,4072.5%Sea
Austria0.31Tonnes: 8,054USD per tonne: $37,8852.5%Sea
Italy0.26Tonnes: 3,050USD per tonne: $86,6272.2%Air
Mexico0.15Tonnes: 9,693USD per tonne: $15,7801.3%Sea
Belgium re-exports0.1Tonnes: 6,660USD per tonne: $15,6800.86%Sea
South Africa0.1Tonnes: 4,474USD per tonne: $21,4550.79%Sea
Hungary0.08Tonnes: 4,418USD per tonne: $18,3660.67%Sea
Netherlands re-exports0.04Tonnes: 2,246USD per tonne: $19,4680.36%Sea
France0.03Tonnes: 1,245USD per tonne: $20,4820.21%Sea
Finland0.02Tonnes: 623USD per tonne: $32,1820.16%Sea
Poland0.01Tonnes: 320USD per tonne: $17,3430.05%Sea
Taiwan< 0.01Tonnes: 238USD per tonne: $11,6910.02%Sea
Philippines< 0.01Tonnes: 229USD per tonne: $10,2310.02%Sea
Czechia< 0.01Tonnes: 110USD per tonne: $20,4140.02%Sea

Trend

Who it buys from

Germany has been its main source since 1999

Value in USD billions. The five largest sources in 2024.

  • Germany 5.4
  • United States 2.1
  • China 1.6
  • Japan 0.71
  • United Kingdom 0.61

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
Partner19952024
Germany0.125.4
United States0.092.1
China< 0.011.6
Japan0.010.71
United Kingdom< 0.010.61

Sources and methodology

Other products of this country

Sources and licenses

Methodology

Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), which reconciles what exporters and importers report: countries that stopped reporting (Russia since 2022) appear with their partners’ data. FOB values in current US dollars; tonnes when BACI reports them. The price per tonne is the value of the rows with a weight divided by that weight. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Data up to 2024.

Hong Kong, Singapore, the Netherlands and Belgium re-export goods from other countries: their figures include transit.

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