South Korea: Investment freedom

The latest value from 2024 is 60 points, unchanged from 60 points in 2023. In comparison, the world average is 56 points, based on data from 175 countries. Historically, the average for South Korea from 1995 to 2024 is 67 points. The minimum value, 50 points, was reached in 1995 while the maximum of 70 points was recorded in 1998. See the global rankings for that indicator or use the country comparator to compare trends over time.

The Investment Freedom index for South Korea from The Heritage Foundation measures the restrictions to investment activity both within the country and across borders. A higher score means fewer restrictions.

Definition: The Investment freedom index evaluates a variety of investment restrictions (burdensome bureaucracy, restrictions on land ownership, expropriation of investments without fair compensation, foreign exchange controls, capital control, security problems, a lack of basic investment infrastructure, etc.). Points are deducted from the ideal score of 100 for each of the restrictions found in a country’s investment regime.