globaltraffic.earth

Trade between South Korea and Taiwan

In 2024, South Korea exported $41.9 billion to Taiwan and imported $29.8 billion. South Korea ran a surplus of $12.1 billion with Taiwan, compared with a surplus of $2 billion in 2019. Taiwan was South Korea’s 5th largest trading partner (5% of its trade), and South Korea was Taiwan’s 5th (8%).

Summary

South Korea → Taiwan
$41.9billion
Taiwan → South Korea
$29.8billion
South Korea’s balance
$12.1billion

Balance

South Korea’s trade balance with Taiwan

Trade between South Korea and Taiwan grew 11.1-fold since 1995

USD billions (current). South Korea’s exports and imports; bars: its balance (green surplus, red deficit).

  • Exports 41.9
  • Imports 29.8
  • Balance +12.1

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearExportsImportsTrade balance
1995$3.9 billion$2.6 billion$1.3 billion
1996$4 billion$2.7 billion$1.3 billion
1997$5.2 billion$2.5 billion$2.7 billion
1998$5.7 billion$1.7 billion$4 billion
1999$7.6 billion$3 billion$4.6 billion
2000$9.2 billion$3.6 billion$5.6 billion
2001$6.8 billion$3 billion$3.8 billion
2002$7.7 billion$3.7 billion$4 billion
2003$8.6 billion$4.2 billion$4.5 billion
2004$11.7 billion$4.8 billion$6.9 billion
2005$13 billion$5.4 billion$7.6 billion
2006$15.2 billion$9.2 billion$6 billion
2007$15.4 billion$10.8 billion$4.6 billion
2008$13.4 billion$11.7 billion$1.7 billion
2009$10.7 billion$9.9 billion$816 million
2010$16.5 billion$13.6 billion$2.9 billion
2011$18.6 billion$9.9 billion$8.7 billion
2012$15.3 billion$13.9 billion$1.4 billion
2013$15.9 billion$14.4 billion$1.5 billion
2014$15.1 billion$15.5 billion-$407 million
2015$13 billion$16.6 billion-$3.6 billion
2016$14.4 billion$16.5 billion-$2.1 billion
2017$17.8 billion$17.6 billion$158 million
2018$19.7 billion$17 billion$2.7 billion
2019$17.5 billion$15.5 billion$2 billion
2020$20.2 billion$17.3 billion$2.9 billion
2021$30.1 billion$23 billion$7.1 billion
2022$33.1 billion$27.8 billion$5.3 billion
2023$27.3 billion$24.1 billion$3.3 billion
2024$41.9 billion$29.8 billion$12.1 billion

What they sell each other

What South Korea sells to Taiwan

The top 10 headings in 2024, with their share of the total.

  1. Microchips$28.9 billion · 69%
    3 thousand tonnes · South Korea’s destinations
  2. Refined petroleum$1.4 billion · 3.4%
    2.3 million tonnes · South Korea’s destinations
  3. Cyclic hydrocarbons$1 billion · 2.5%
    1 million tonnes
  4. Computer and office machine parts$1 billion · 2.4%
    438 tonnes
  5. Other industrial machines$831 million · 2%
    5 thousand tonnes
  6. Printed circuit boards$714 million · 1.7%
    1 thousand tonnes
  7. Discs and storage media$400 million · 0.95%
    832 tonnes
  8. Cars$266 million · 0.63%
    21 thousand tonnes · South Korea’s destinations
  9. Open-chain hydrocarbons$236 million · 0.56%
    228 thousand tonnes
  10. Refined copper$225 million · 0.54%
    24 thousand tonnes · South Korea’s destinations

What Taiwan sells to South Korea

The top 10 headings in 2024, with their share of the total.

  1. Microchips$22.3 billion · 74.8%
    2 thousand tonnes · Taiwan’s destinations
  2. Other industrial machines$629 million · 2.1%
    5 thousand tonnes
  3. Cameras and broadcast equipment$474 million · 1.6%
    4 thousand tonnes
  4. Printed circuit boards$450 million · 1.5%
    680 tonnes
  5. Mounted lenses and objectives$356 million · 1.2%
    82 tonnes
  6. Cyclic hydrocarbons$305 million · 1%
    282 thousand tonnes
  7. Diodes, transistors and solar cells$305 million · 1%
    540 tonnes
  8. Computers$257 million · 0.86%
    568 tonnes · Taiwan’s destinations
  9. Computer and office machine parts$245 million · 0.82%
    1 thousand tonnes
  10. LCD panels, lasers and other optical devices$211 million · 0.71%
    77 tonnes

How it travels

South Korea and Taiwan traded $71.7 billion in 2024 (both directions together). They trade mostly by air: 84% of the value travels by plane.

Split by transport mode

  1. Sea$11.2 billion · 15.6%
  2. Air$60.6 billion · 84.4%

Mode estimated from value per kilo and geography; both directions together.

How much each matters to the other

Taiwan was South Korea’s 5th largest trading partner (5% of its trade), and South Korea was Taiwan’s 5th (8%).

Taiwan in South Korea’s trade
5.2%
Taiwan’s rank among South Korea’s partners
5th
South Korea in Taiwan’s trade
7.7%
South Korea’s rank among Taiwan’s partners
5th

Compare with

Other partners of South Korea

Other partners of Taiwan

Sources and methodology

Sources and licenses

Methodology

Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), in current US dollars, with exports and imports reconciled between countries. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. The sea route comes from our own network derived from World Bank shipping density (not from nautical charts), between one main reference port per country (World Port Index); days are the distance at 14 and 18 knots, without port calls or waiting. Data up to 2024.