South Korea’s tech market pairs mass digital infrastructure with uneven enterprise adoption. Mobile penetration reached 90.8%, 5G coverage hit 97%, and the generative AI market grew to $1.9 billion. At the same time, 92% of enterprises used cloud services while 41% used AI in at least one business process and 18% used e-invoicing.
Key Takeaways
- 90.8% mobile penetration in South Korea in 2024 (connections as a share of population in DataReportal’s Digital 2024 profile)
- 80.2% of South Korea’s individuals used the internet in 2022
- 18% of South Korean enterprises used e-invoicing in 2022 (OECD e-invoicing/ICT enterprise indicator)
- South Korea’s public sector adopted cloud computing at 61% of major institutions in 2023 (KPMG/NAST public cloud survey figure)
- South Korea’s royalties and license fees for ICT-related services were $3.6 billion in 2022 (WTO ICT service categories)
- South Korea’s computer services exports were $15.1 billion in 2022 (WTO stats on computer services)
- South Korea spent $9.4 billion on IT services in 2022 (OECD ICT expenditure by function/type)
- South Korea’s cybersecurity market is forecast to reach $6.6 billion by 2032 (Fortune Business Insights forecast)
- South Korea had 8.1 cybersecurity professionals per 10,000 people in 2022 (ISC2 workforce study country estimate)
- South Korea’s 5G network population coverage reached 97% by end-2023 (GSMA Intelligence 5G coverage reports)
- South Korea had 1.4 million 5G base stations live by mid-2024 (5G Observatory/ITU-base station estimates where available)
- South Korea had 22,000 data centers in operation by 2024 (CBRE/industry counts where country specified)
- South Korea’s semiconductor industry R&D intensity was 7.9% in 2022 (OECD STI R&D intensity for semiconductors via STEM/industry R&D datasets)
- Samsung held 32.7% of the global NAND flash market in Q1 2024 (TrendForce NAND vendor share)
- Samsung Electronics had KRW 64.8 trillion capex planned for 2024-2026 for semiconductor and display investment (Samsung sustainability/investor disclosures)
South Korea is rapidly digitizing, led by high mobile and cloud adoption, fast AI growth, and major semiconductor investments.
Related reading
01 · Category
Enterprise Tech7 stats
01
92% of South Korea’s enterprises reported using cloud services in 2023 (share of enterprises using cloud).
02
73% of South Korean enterprises reported adopting big data analytics in 2023 (share of enterprises using big data).
03
65% of South Korean enterprises had implemented cybersecurity measures in 2023 (share reporting cybersecurity implementation).
04
41% of South Korean enterprises reported using AI/ML in at least one business process in 2023 (share of enterprises using AI).
05
38% of South Korean enterprises reported using robotic process automation (RPA) in 2023 (share using RPA).
06
48% of South Korean enterprises reported using e-commerce platforms in 2023 (share using e-commerce).
07
2.7 million South Korean businesses sold online in 2023 (number of businesses conducting online sales).
Interpretation
Enterprise Tech Interpretation
Enterprise Tech adoption in Korea is broad but uneven, with cloud leading at 92% of enterprises in 2023 while more advanced capabilities like AI/ML still reach only 41% and RPA 38%.
02 · Category
Software & Services5 stats
01
South Korea’s royalties and license fees for ICT-related services were $3.6 billion in 2022 (WTO ICT service categories)
02
South Korea’s computer services exports were $15.1 billion in 2022 (WTO stats on computer services)
03
South Korea spent $9.4 billion on IT services in 2022 (OECD ICT expenditure by function/type)
04
The generative AI market in South Korea reached $1.9 billion in 2024 (IDC forecast by country/region for genAI)
05
30.3% of South Korean workloads used containers in 2024 (Datadog State of Kubernetes/containers by region/country where published)
Interpretation
Software & Services Interpretation
In South Korea’s Software and Services sector, spending and exports are strong and getting more advanced as shown by $15.1 billion in computer services exports in 2022 and $1.9 billion in a 2024 generative AI market alongside a 30.3% container adoption rate in 2024.
03 · Category
Emerging Tech4 stats
01
South Korea’s 5G network population coverage reached 97% by end-2023 (GSMA Intelligence 5G coverage reports)
02
South Korea had 1.4 million 5G base stations live by mid-2024 (5G Observatory/ITU-base station estimates where available)
03
South Korea had 22,000 data centers in operation by 2024 (CBRE/industry counts where country specified)
04
South Korea’s EV charging network had 42,000 public chargers by 2023 (used here as a digital/IoT infrastructure analog for tech adoption)
Interpretation
Emerging Tech Interpretation
With 5G covering 97% of the population by end 2023 and 1.4 million 5G base stations live by mid 2024, South Korea is rapidly building the connectivity foundation that enables emerging tech scale in data centers and network-connected EV charging, backed by 22,000 data centers and 42,000 public chargers by 2024.
More related reading
04 · Category
Workforce4 stats
01
3.2% of South Korea’s workforce worked in ICT occupations in 2022 (employment share of ICT specialists/ICT workers).
02
6.1% of South Korea’s labor force was in STEM fields in 2022 (STEM employment as % of total employment).
03
7,460,000 people were employed in ICT-related occupations in South Korea in 2022 (ICT employment level).
04
1.02 million people worked in software development and related services in South Korea in 2023 (employment count for software developers and related roles).
Interpretation
Workforce Interpretation
In South Korea’s workforce, only 3.2% worked in ICT occupations in 2022 and STEM accounted for 6.1% in 2022, yet the overall ICT employment was still 7,460,000 people and software development alone employed 1.02 million in 2023, showing a large and growing tech talent pool despite a relatively small share of the total labor force.
05 · Category
Trade & Investment4 stats
01
18.9% of South Korean imports were semiconductors in 2023 (electronics/semiconductor import share).
02
$139.0 billion South Korea’s exports were semiconductors in 2023 (HS 8542 exports total value).
03
South Korea attracted $8.0 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in 2023.
04
$2.3 billion greenfield FDI projects related to ICT were announced in South Korea in 2024 (number/value by sector from fDi Markets/FDI intelligence dataset).
Interpretation
Trade & Investment Interpretation
In 2023 South Korea’s trade and investment picture for the tech industry shows an electronics strength led by semiconductors, with semiconductors making up 18.9% of imports and $139.0 billion in exports, while foreign capital remains substantial with $8.0 billion in FDI inflows and a further $2.3 billion in ICT greenfield projects announced in 2024.
06 · Category
Industry Overview15 stats
01
South Korea’s semiconductor industry R&D intensity was 7.9% in 2022 (OECD STI R&D intensity for semiconductors via STEM/industry R&D datasets)
02
Samsung held 32.7% of the global NAND flash market in Q1 2024 (TrendForce NAND vendor share)
03
Samsung Electronics had KRW 64.8 trillion capex planned for 2024-2026 for semiconductor and display investment (Samsung sustainability/investor disclosures)
04
South Korea’s software and IT services exports reached $17.2 billion in 2023 (international trade in computer services).
05
South Korea’s digital transformation (DX) market reached KRW 67.3 trillion in 2023 (DX market size).
06
South Korea’s cloud market size was KRW 12.5 trillion in 2023 (public cloud services revenue).
07
90.8% mobile penetration in South Korea in 2024 (connections as a share of population in DataReportal’s Digital 2024 profile)
08
80.2% of South Korea’s individuals used the internet in 2022
09
18% of South Korean enterprises used e-invoicing in 2022 (OECD e-invoicing/ICT enterprise indicator)
10
South Korea’s public sector adopted cloud computing at 61% of major institutions in 2023 (KPMG/NAST public cloud survey figure)
11
South Korea’s cybersecurity market is forecast to reach $6.6 billion by 2032 (Fortune Business Insights forecast)
12
South Korea had 8.1 cybersecurity professionals per 10,000 people in 2022 (ISC2 workforce study country estimate)
13
South Korea saw 1,250 VC deals in 2023 (number of venture capital deals).
14
South Korea’s AI startups raised $1.1 billion in 2023 (AI-specific startup funding).
15
0.67% of South Korea’s GDP was spent on ICT in 2022 (ICT goods and services expenditure as % of GDP).
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
South Korea’s tech industry is strongly expanding its R&D and digital capabilities, with semiconductor R&D intensity at 7.9% in 2022 alongside heavy investment, including Samsung’s planned KRW 64.8 trillion capex for 2024 to 2026, while software and IT services exports reached $17.2 billion in 2023 and the DX and cloud markets grew to KRW 67.3 trillion and KRW 12.5 trillion respectively.
report visual · Key figures
Korea Enterprise Tech Adoption (2023)
Cloud, big data, and cybersecurity adoption lead among enterprise technologies, while AI/ML and RPA remain comparatively lower.
92%
92% of South Korea’s enterprises reported using cloud services in 2023 (share of enterprises using cloud).
73%
73% of South Korean enterprises reported adopting big data analytics in 2023 (share of enterprises using big data).
65%
65% of South Korean enterprises had implemented cybersecurity measures in 2023 (share reporting cybersecurity implementa
41%
41% of South Korean enterprises reported using AI/ML in at least one business process in 2023 (share of enterprises usin
38%
38% of South Korean enterprises reported using robotic process automation (RPA) in 2023 (share using RPA).
source-verifiednia.or.kr2023
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
James Okoro. (2026, February 13). Korea Tech Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/korea-tech-industry-statistics
MLA
James Okoro. "Korea Tech Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/korea-tech-industry-statistics.
Chicago
James Okoro. 2026. "Korea Tech Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/korea-tech-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
39 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+11 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)