Key Takeaways
- South Korea's manufacturing employment totaled 4.12 million persons in 2023, representing 16.5% of total employment
- Average monthly wages in manufacturing were KRW 4.82 million in 2023, up 3.1% YoY
- Manufacturing labor productivity per hour was USD 45.2 in 2022
- South Korea's manufacturing exports reached USD 643.7 billion in 2023, accounting for 85% of total exports
- Semiconductor exports totaled USD 128.9 billion in 2023, up 7.8% YoY
- Automobile exports were USD 64.2 billion in 2023, with 3.95 million units shipped
- Manufacturing R&D expenditure was KRW 112.4 trillion in 2022, 82% of national total R&D
- R&D intensity in manufacturing: 5.8% of value added in 2023
- Private sector manufacturing R&D: KRW 92.7 trillion in 2022
- In 2022, South Korea's manufacturing production index stood at 108.5 (2020=100), reflecting a 3.2% year-on-year growth driven by semiconductors and automobiles
- The semiconductor manufacturing sector in South Korea produced 1.47 million tons of semiconductors in 2023, accounting for 18.5% of global output
- Automobile production in South Korea reached 4.22 million units in 2022, with exports comprising 78.9% of total production
- Manufacturing total factor productivity grew 1.8% YoY in 2023
- Labor productivity in manufacturing: USD 42,500 per worker in 2022
- Energy intensity in manufacturing: 0.12 toe per KRW million value added in 2023
In 2023, South Korea’s manufacturing employed 4.12 million, boosted wages and productivity, and drove 85% of exports.
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02 · Category
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Investment and R&D25 stats
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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.
Elena Vasquez. (2026, February 13). Korean Manufacturing Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/korean-manufacturing-industry-statistics
Elena Vasquez. "Korean Manufacturing Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/korean-manufacturing-industry-statistics.
Elena Vasquez. 2026. "Korean Manufacturing Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/korean-manufacturing-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
69 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level

