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Country guide· 16 min read

Korea, Rep. rankings 2026: where Korea, Rep. places in 90 global Top 10s

Korea, Rep. is #2 in Countries with the most ATMs per 100,000 adults and inside the top 10 of 29 rankings. Every position, value and source, regenerated as the data refreshes.

This is the complete picture of Korea, Rep. across Top10Earth: 90 current rankings out of 491 that compare countries, from the economy and health to energy, education and food. Every figure below is the latest published value from its source. Its best position is #2 in Countries with the most ATMs per 100,000 adults, where it is measured at 244.47 per 100,000 adults (ATMs) as of 2026-11-02. Korea, Rep. finishes inside the top 10 in 29 rankings.

Top 10 finishes

Korea, Rep. is inside the top 10 of 29 further rankings. Each entry names the country directly above it, which is the position to beat at the next refresh.

The remaining 17 top-10 positions are in the full list at the end of this guide.

Korea, Rep. by theme

The rankings are grouped by category below, so the economic picture, the health picture and the environmental picture can be read separately. Positions are out of the number of countries each source reports, which differs by ranking.

Finance and crypto

In finance and crypto, Korea, Rep. holds 46 positions: #3 of 50 in Countries by portfolio Investment, net (87.73 BoP, current US$ bn), #3 of 50 in Countries with the highest bank lending to the private sector as a share of GDP (160.35 % of GDP), #4 of 50 in Countries by current account balance (123.05 BoP, current US$ bn) and #4 of 50 in Countries by net financial account (119.76 BoP, current US$ bn). 42 more rankings are listed below.

World and society

In world and society, Korea, Rep. holds 17 positions: #2 of 50 in Countries with the most ATMs per 100,000 adults (244.47 per 100,000 adults), #2 of 50 in Countries with the most industrial design applications (51.77 thousand), #4 of 50 in Countries with the most container port traffic (31.9k thousand TEU) and #6 of 50 in Countries with the largest aquaculture production (2,281.88 thousand metric tons). 13 more rankings are listed below.

Environment and energy

In environment and energy, Korea, Rep. holds 10 positions: #9 of 50 in Countries with the highest carbon dioxide emissions (588.01 Mt CO2e), #10 of 50 in Countries with the highest electricity use per person (12.1k kWh per person), #13 of 50 in Countries with the highest total greenhouse gas emissions (668.25 Mt CO2e) and #17 of 50 in Countries producing the most renewable electricity excluding hydropower (34.54 billion kWh). 6 more rankings are listed below.

Travel

In travel, Korea, Rep. holds 4 positions: #5 of 50 in Countries with the most rail travel (0.1 million), #16 of 50 in Countries with the most air passengers (76.27 million), #17 of 50 in Countries with the most airline departures (459.73 thousand) and #18 of 50 in Countries earning the most from tourism (11.78 US$ bn).

Consumer tech

In consumer tech, Korea, Rep. holds 4 positions: #11 of 50 in Countries with the most fixed telephone subscriptions (21.3k thousand subscriptions), #14 of 50 in Countries with the most internet users (share of population) (97.9 % of population), #18 of 50 in Countries by mobile subscriptions per 100 people (172.52 per 100 people) and #21 of 50 in Countries by communications, computer, etc. (55.91 % of service imports, BoP).

Food and agriculture

In food and agriculture, Korea, Rep. holds 4 positions: #13 of 50 in Countries with the largest total fisheries production (3,555.28 thousand metric tons), #18 of 50 in Countries with the largest capture fisheries catch (1,273.39 thousand metric tons), #20 of 50 in Countries with the highest fertilizer use per hectare (285.57 kg per hectare of arable land) and #32 of 50 in Largest agricultural economies (27.42 current US$ bn).

Education and science

In education and science, Korea, Rep. holds 3 positions: #4 of 50 in Countries with the most patent applications by residents (195.79 thousand), #9 of 50 in Countries with the most scientific journal articles (71.72 thousand) and #44 of 50 in Countries with the highest government spending on education as a share of GDP (5.41 % of GDP).

Health and wellbeing

In health and wellbeing, Korea, Rep. holds 2 positions: #29 of 50 in Countries spending the most on health per person (3,136.79 US$) and #30 of 50 in Countries with the highest share of people using basic sanitation (99.73 % of population).

What changed at the latest refresh

Comparing each ranking's newest snapshot with the one before it, Korea, Rep. moved in 89 rankings:

Since the first snapshot

Top10Earth keeps every snapshot it publishes. Where a ranking has been captured at least three times, the first recorded position can be compared with today's:

Where Korea, Rep. ranks lowest

A guide that only listed wins would be misleading. Korea, Rep.'s lowest current positions are 48th of 50 in Countries by net capital account (258 BoP, current US$ million), 47th of 50 in Richest countries by GDP per capita (36.2k US$) and 45th of 50 in Countries spending the most on the military (share of GDP) (2.6 % of GDP). Whether a low position is good or bad depends on the metric: being near the bottom of an emissions or mortality ranking is the better place to be.

Every ranking that includes Korea, Rep.

How to read these numbers

Each ranking measures one metric from one named source at one time, so a #3 in one table and a #3 in another are not directly comparable. Countries also report in different years: the capture date is when Top10Earth fetched the data, while the source's own year is stated on each ranking page under methodology. For a side-by-side with another country on the same measures, open any ranking and use the head-to-head links, or visit Korea, Rep.'s entity page for the live table and rank-history chart.

Top10Earth never estimates or edits a value. Each number is fetched from its source on a schedule, hashed, stored and ranked by software, then checked by a quality gate before it is published. If a refresh fails that gate the previous snapshot stays live and a person looks at why. Every past snapshot is kept, which is what makes the rank-history charts on each ranking page possible.

Questions people ask about Korea, Rep.

What is Korea, Rep.'s best ranking on Top10Earth?

#2 in Countries with the most ATMs per 100,000 adults, with 244.47 per 100,000 adults (ATMs) as of 2026-11-02.

How many rankings include Korea, Rep.?

90 current country rankings out of 491 on the site.

Is Korea, Rep. in the top 10 of anything?

Yes: 29 rankings, including #2 in Countries with the most ATMs per 100,000 adults, #2 in Countries with the most industrial design applications and #3 in Countries by portfolio Investment, net.

Where do the numbers come from?

From World Bank Open Data. Each ranking page names its source, metric definition and capture date.

When was this guide last updated?

The newest snapshot used here was captured on 2026-11-02. The guide is regenerated automatically as rankings refresh.

Live table and history →

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