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Where does South Korea get its cargo and passenger ships? Import sources 2024

In 2024, South Korea imported $3 billion of cargo and passenger ships (3.1 million tonnes), 3.5% of the world total. Its main sources were China (31%), Japan (18%) and Singapore (12%). South Korea was the world’s 8th-largest importer of cargo and passenger ships.

Summary

Value
$3billion
Tonnes
3.1million tonnes
Share of world total
3.5%
World rank
8th
Routes from the main sources. Width: value; color: estimated transport mode.SeaAirLand

Sources

The 20 main sources in the latest year.

PartnerValue (USD millions)TonnesUSD per tonneShareMode
China911Tonnes: 1,132,662USD per tonne: $80330.6%Sea
Japan532Tonnes: 315,442USD per tonne: $1,68517.9%Sea
Singapore re-exports346Tonnes: 334,665USD per tonne: $1,03311.6%Sea
United States219Tonnes: 213,184USD per tonne: $1,0287.4%Sea
Hong Kong re-exports109Tonnes: 87,738USD per tonne: $1,2433.7%Sea
Panama95.4Tonnes: 35,616USD per tonne: $2,6793.2%Sea
Iraq92Tonnes: 106,200USD per tonne: $8673.1%Sea
Philippines79.9Tonnes: 27,668USD per tonne: $2,8892.7%Sea
Mexico74.7Tonnes: 164,690USD per tonne: $4542.5%Sea
Brunei70.2Tonnes: 61,182USD per tonne: $1,1472.4%Sea
Saudi Arabia67.6Tonnes: 164,668USD per tonne: $4102.3%Sea
Marshall Islands58Tonnes: 157,955USD per tonne: $3672%Sea
Kuwait49.2Tonnes: 61,224USD per tonne: $8031.7%Sea
Papua New Guinea44.2Tonnes: 62,659USD per tonne: $7051.5%Sea
Liberia40.5Tonnes: 56,259USD per tonne: $7201.4%Sea
Jamaica39.8Tonnes: 29,649USD per tonne: $1,3411.3%Sea
Nigeria39.2Tonnes: 42,968USD per tonne: $9111.3%Sea
Vietnam28.6Tonnes: 10,591USD per tonne: $2,7000.96%Sea
Indonesia26.8Tonnes: 43,976USD per tonne: $6100.9%Sea
Denmark22.9Tonnes: 12,515USD per tonne: $1,8290.77%Sea

Trend

Who it buys from

China has been its main source since 2024

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

  • China 0.91
  • Japan 0.53
  • Singapore 0.35
  • United States 0.22
  • Hong Kong 0.11

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
Partner19952024
China< 0.010.91
Japan0.180.53
Singapore0.020.35
United States< 0.010.22
Hong Kong< 0.010.11

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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