Japan vs South Korea: Ores and metals imports
Ores and metals imports over time
- Japan
- South Korea
How they compare
Japan currently reports 7.0% against 6.7% in South Korea, a difference of 0.3%.
The two have swapped places 8 times across 63 shared years of data; in 1962 it was Japan ahead.
Japan ranks 11th and South Korea ranks 13th of 196 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 5 and South Korea in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 18.1% | 3.8% | 14.3% | Japan |
| 1970s | 13.5% | 5.1% | 8.4% | Japan |
| 1980s | 9.3% | 6.1% | 3.2% | Japan |
| 1990s | 6.6% | 6.1% | 0.5% | Japan |
| 2000s | 6.3% | 6.7% | 0.4% | South Korea |
| 2010s | 6.7% | 7.2% | 0.5% | South Korea |
| 2020s | 7.7% | 7.2% | 0.5% | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher ores and metals imports, Japan or South Korea?
- Japan, at 7.0% against 6.7% in South Korea as of 2025.
- What is the difference in ores and metals imports between Japan and South Korea?
- 0.3%, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Korea?
- 63 years are reported by both, from 1962 to 2024.
- How do Japan and South Korea rank globally for ores and metals imports?
- Japan ranks 11th and South Korea ranks 13th of 196 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division, published as Ores and metals imports (% of merchandise imports). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Ores and metals comprise the commodities in SITC (Rev. 3) sections 27 (crude fertilizer, minerals nes); 28 (metalliferous ores, scrap); and 68 (non-ferrous metals). Imports of services are services provided by non-residents to residents. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of merchandise imports which is comprised of goods whose economic ownership is changed between a non-resident and a resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e.