In 2022, the revenue of Samsung Group-affiliated companies accounted for about **** percent of South Korea's gross domestic product (GDP). These affiliates generated total revenue of around ***** trillion South Korean won that year, having first surpassed the 400-trillion mark the previous year. Samsung’s share of revenue in GDP remained constant at around ** percent during the surveyed period. Samsung Group’s major affiliates Samsung owns about 60 affiliates that are among the leading companies in their respective industries. For example, Samsung Electronics - best known for its Galaxy smartphones - is a global player in consumer electronics and telecommunications. Samsung Heavy Industries is one of the three leading companies in the domestic shipbuilding industry, while Samsung Group's affiliated financial companies, such as Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance and Samsung Life Insurance, have a strong influence on the South Korean financial market. Samsung: The largest chaebol in South Korea Samsung is the biggest chaebol group in South Korea – a large family-run conglomerate owned and managed by an individual or their family members. Chaebol groups typically have numerous affiliates, operate in multiple and diverse business sectors, and usually maintain a monopoly position in the relevant market. South Korea’s economy is dominated by a few chaebols, such as Samsung, SK, LG, and Hyundai Motor Company, whose influence on the market increased significantly, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2022, Samsung Group's total assets represented about ** percent of South Korea's gross domestic product (GDP). The share of Samsung Group's total assets in GDP has nearly doubled in the last two decades.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in South Korea was worth 1712.79 billion US dollars in 2023, according to official data from the World Bank. The GDP value of South Korea represents 1.62 percent of the world economy. This dataset provides - South Korea GDP - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

In 2022, the total assets of the five largest family-run conglomerates in South Korea (also known as chaebols) accounted for about ** percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). Samsung Group stood out with its total assets making up about ** percent of the country's GDP.

As of May 2024, ******* Group was the largest business group in South Korea, generating approximately ****** trillion South Korean won in revenue. ******* is the biggest family-owned conglomerate in the country, known as a chaebol. These chaebols are significant contributors to South Korea’s gross domestic product (GDP), with the revenue from the five largest chaebols accounting for nearly half of the nation's GDP. Key industry of South Korea’s economy The manufacturing sector is a vital pillar of South Korea's economy and the most valuable industry contributing to the nation's GDP. Over the past several decades, it has been the driving force behind the rapid economic development of South Korea. The contribution of mining and manufacturing, particularly manufacturing, has grown from about **** percent in 1953 to nearly ** percent in 2023. However, despite its importance, the growth of the manufacturing sector has been declining in recent years, contributing fewer percentage points to South Korea's overall economic development. Rising start-up scene in South Korea Historically, large chaebol groups have dominated the South Korean economy. However, in recent years, new players have begun to emerge, indicating a shift in the economic landscape. The South Korean start-up scene has experienced significant growth, fueled by substantial venture capital investments and government financing programs. Over the past decade, the volume of venture capital investments in South Korea has increased more than fourfold. Additionally, the number of start-ups valued at over one billion US dollars, known as unicorns, has also grown significantly. In 2023, South Korea had 23 unicorns, representing a more than sevenfold increase in just seven years.

In the fourth quarter of 2024, Samsung's operating profit amounted to around 6.5 billion South Koran won, a sharp decrease compared to the previous quarter. Samsung as a CE giant Samsung ranks among the largest companies in the world in terms of market value and is perhaps best known for its various lines of successful consumer electronics products. The company’s biggest segment is its mobile communications business which primarily focuses on smartphone products such as the new Samsung Galaxy Fold. In addition to its own Samsung-branded products, the company also serves as the display manufacturer for many other devices in the consumer electronics market. The company employs hundreds of thousands of workers and accounts for a significant portion of South Korea’s GDP, meaning that Samsung is massively influential within both its home country and throughout the world.

As of the first quarter of 2025, Samsung Electronics’ mobile experience (MX) was its biggest revenue generator, bringing in approximately 26 billion U.S. dollars. Other key segments are the company’s mobile communications and display panel businesses which also contributed significantly to total revenue. Samsung Samsung, perhaps best known for its consumer electronics division, owns business ventures that span across a large range of industries. Controlling some of the top companies operating in every sector from electronics to insurances to shipbuilding, Samsung ranks among the largest conglomerates in the world in terms of market value. The company employs hundreds of thousands of workers and accounts for a significant portion of South Korea’s GDP, meaning that Samsung is massively influential within its home country. Mobile Communications segment The cornerstone of Samsung’s success is its mobile communications segment, which includes various lines of smartphones and wearables as well as the company’s library of application software such as Samsung Pay. The company’s Samsung Galaxy line is among the most popular in the world and contributes towards making Samsung one of the largest smartphone brands in the world in terms of worldwide shipments.

In 2024, the gross domestic product (GDP) contributed by the construction sector in South Korea was approximately *** trillion South Korean won. The GDP from this sector showed overall growth until 2017 and started to decrease from the year after. Construction industry in South Korea In 2023, approximately ******* construction permits were issued in South Korea. In 2023, the total construction costs amounted to over *** trillion South Korean won, the highest they have been in the last decade. According to the government construction capability evaluation, South Korea’s leading construction company was Samsung C&T (Construction and Trading). The government’s annual construction capability evaluation measures a company’s performance based on construction contracts, business management, technical capabilities, and brand credibility. Construction overseas South Korean construction companies also operate abroad, constructing industrial plants, public works, electric power plants, telecommunications facilities, and more. Overseas construction orders totaled over ** billion U.S. dollars in 2024. However, this figure remained below the value of orders recorded a decade earlier.

In the third quarter of 2024, Samsung Electronics recorded revenues of around ** trillion South Korean won, which amounted to approximately ** billion U.S. dollars. The South Korean tech giant’s digital experience segment accounted for almost ** billion U.S. dollars of this figure, while its semiconductor business netted a further * billion. Consumer electronics Over the past few decades, mobile electronic devices have become an increasingly integral part of the daily lives of people across the globe, with consumer expenditures expected to exceed *** billion U.S. dollars in 2024. As one of the world’s leading vendors of smartphones, televisions, tablets, wearables, and consumer electronics as a whole, Samsung is well positioned to take advantage of this trend. In addition to producing products to sell under the Samsung brand, the company also manufactures electronic components to be sold to other vendors, most notably displays and semiconductors. SamsungSamsung, perhaps best known for its consumer electronics division, owns business ventures that span across a large range of industries. Controlling some of the top companies operating in every sector from electronics to insurances to shipbuilding, Samsung ranks among the largest conglomerates in the world in terms of market value. The company employs hundreds of thousands of workers and accounts for a significant portion of South Korea’s GDP, meaning that Samsung is massively influential within its home country and throughout the world.

As of December 2024, ****** male and ****** female employees were working for Samsung Electronics under permanent contracts at the company's South Korean headquarters in Suwon. According to its annual report, there were *** temporary workers that year. Samsung in South Korea   Samsung Electronics’ parent company Samsung Group is the largest family-owned business conglomerate in South Korea. These family-owned South Korean conglomerates, some other examples being LG and Hyundai, are called chaebol. The company and its affiliates account for around one-fifth of the country’s GDP. Other big players in the domestic economy include LG Corporation and SK Group. Samsung’s products and global presence  Samsung maintains a strong global presence in multiple sectors, holding the highest share in the global smartphone market as of 2023. Other products not limited to televisions, tablets, and home appliances such as refrigerators, contribute to its diverse range of products. Globally, the company employs more than ******* people. Samsung also features prominently among the largest companies in the world by market capitalization and revenue.

The statistic shows the value of exports of goods from South Korea from 2013 to 2023. In 2023, goods with a value of around 632.23 billion U.S. dollars were exported from South Korea. South Korea's exports The quantity of exports from South Korea has been rising over the past 10 years, with a slight dip in 2009, at the time of the economic crisis. South Korea is one of the leading exporters of cars and electronic goods. Both Hyundai and Samsung are South Korean corporate heavyweights and hold large market shares in their respective segments. However, since 2011 it can be seen that the rise of the value of South Korean exports has slowed. This is likely due to the value of the country's currency, the won, rising higher than the Japanese Yen, making Korean goods less competitive on the global market. Petroleum products are also an important South Korean export, and falling global oil and gas prices are likely to have been a contributor to lower-than-expected export values as well. However, Korea is also looking to reduce its dependence on exports and focus on developing its domestic service sector instead, in order to sustain long-term economic growth. However, the distribution of the sectors' share in GDP generation has remained nearly the same for the past ten years. While the country is also experiencing greatly reduced levels of growth compared to 2010, when GDP growth reached 6.5 percent, the country is hoping to improve growth rates in the future.

As of May 2024, the five leading conglomerates Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor Company, LG and POSCO accounted for over ** percent of the total revenues of the major business groups in South Korea. Although the share of their revenues has declined in recent years, it is still more than half.

In 1800, it is estimated that approximately 9.4 million people lived in the region of modern-day South Korea (and 13.8 million on the entire peninsula). The population of this region would remain fairly constant through much of the 19th century, but would begin to grow gradually starting in the mid-1800s, as the fall of the Joseon dynasty and pressure from the U.S. and Japan would end centuries of Korean isolationism. Following the opening of the country to foreign trade, the Korean peninsula would begin to modernize, and by the start of the 20th century, it would have a population of just over ten million. The Korean peninsula was then annexed by Japan in 1910, whose regime implemented industrialization and modernization policies that saw the population of South Korea rising from just under ten million in 1900, to over fifteen million by the start of the Second World War in 1939.

The Korean War Like most regions, the end of the Second World War coincided with a baby boom, that helped see South Korea's population grow by almost two million between 1945 and 1950. However, this boom would stop suddenly in the early 1950s, due to disruption caused by the Korean War. After WWII, the peninsula was split along the 38th parallel, with governments on both sides claiming to be the legitimate rulers of all Korea. Five years of tensions then culminated in North Korea's invasion of the South in June 1950, in the first major conflict of the Cold War. In September, the UN-backed South then repelled the Soviet- and Chinese-backed Northern army, and the frontlines would then fluctuate on either side of the 38th parallel throughout the next three years. The war came to an end in July, 1953, and had an estimated death toll of three million fatalities. The majority of fatalities were civilians on both sides, although the North suffered a disproportionate amount due to extensive bombing campaigns of the U.S. Unlike North Korea, the South's total population did not fall during the war.

Post-war South Korea Between the war's end and the late 1980s, the South's total population more than doubled. In these decades, South Korea was generally viewed as a nominal democracy under authoritarian and military leadership; it was not until 1988 when South Korea transitioned into a stable democracy, and grew its international presence. Much of South Korea's rapid socio-economic growth in the late 20th century was based on the West German model, and was greatly assisted by Japanese and U.S. investment. Today, South Korea is considered one of the world's wealthiest and most developed nations, ranking highly in terms of GDP, human development and life expectancy; it is home to some of the most valuable brands in the world, such as Samsung and Hyundai; and has a growing international cultural presence in music and cinema. In the past decades, South Korea's population growth has somewhat slowed, however it remains one of the most densely populated countries in the world, with total population of more than 51 million people.

In 2024, Samsung Electronics was the largest company in South Korea based on revenue, generating over 198 billion U.S. dollars and ranking 31st on the Fortune Global 500 list. Following Samsung was Hyundai Motor, which reported a revenue of approximately 124.6 billion U.S. dollars. That year, a total of 15 South Korean companies were included in the Fortune Global 500 rankings.