South Korea Foreign Exchange & Gold Reserves (USD) - Historical Data
Total official international reserves of South Korea (Bank of Korea), comprising monetary gold valued at year-end London market prices, convertible foreign exchange reserves, Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), and IMF reserve positions from 1960 to 2025. Latest reserve holdings stand at $436.57 billion USD (2025).
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Current Statistics & Historical Records
Latest Reading (2025)
$436.57B
Prev (2024): $418.22B+$18.35B
Highest Recorded (2021)
$463.28B
Peak foreign exchange and gold reserves held by South Korea.
Lowest Recorded (1963)
$0.13B
Lowest recorded official international reserve holdings for South Korea.
Long-Run Mean (1960–2025)
$127.47B
66 annual observations · Annual
Bank of Korea · KRW
South Korea Foreign Exchange & Gold Reserves (USD) (1960-2025)
USD BillionsDrag to pan, scroll to zoom, or toggle between full archive (1960–2025) and recent annual observations.
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Source: World Bank Open Data & International Monetary Fund (IFS) (WB:FI.RES.TOTL.CD:KOR)
Latest: $436.57B (2025)
South Korea FX Reserves ($B) Averages by Decade
Decadal mean, peak, and trough across the 1960–2025 archive
| Decade | Years Covered | Decade Mean | Decade High (Year) | Decade Low (Year) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1960–1969 | $0.25B | $0.55B (1969) | $0.13B (1963) |
| 1970s | 1970–1979 | $1.45B | $3.11B (1979) | $0.30B (1974) |
| 1980s | 1980–1989 | $5.21B | $15.34B (1989) | $2.46B (1983) |
| 1990s | 1990–1999 | $30.57B | $74.11B (1999) | $13.81B (1991) |
| 2000s | 2000–2009 | $185.95B | $270.44B (2009) | $96.25B (2000) |
| 2010s | 2010–2019 | $357.29B | $408.82B (2019) | $292.14B (2010) |
| 2020s | 2020–2025 | $434.31B | $463.28B (2021) | $418.22B (2024) |
Complete Annual Historical Ledger (1960–2025)
Unit: USD Billions · Source: World Bank Open Data & International Monetary Fund (IFS) (WB:FI.RES.TOTL.CD:KOR)
| Year | Annual Value (USD Billions) | Intra-Year Range (Min – Max) | Monetary Regime & Historical Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $436.57B | $436.57B – $436.57B | Post-tightening monetary recalibration across advanced and emerging central banks |
| 2024 | $418.22B | $418.22B – $418.22B | G10 policy rates peak and pivot toward gradual monetary normalization |
| 2023 | $420.93B | $420.93B – $420.93B | - |
| 2022 | $423.37B | $423.37B – $423.37B | Global inflation surge triggers fastest synchronized rate hiking cycle in four decades |
| 2021 | $463.28B | $463.28B – $463.28B | - |
| 2020 | $443.46B | $443.46B – $443.46B | COVID-19 pandemic emergency rate cuts and record balance sheet expansion |
| 2019 | $408.82B | $408.82B – $408.82B | - |
| 2018 | $403.08B | $403.08B – $403.08B | - |
| 2017 | $388.80B | $388.80B – $388.80B | - |
| 2016 | $370.15B | $370.15B – $370.15B | Bank of Japan introduces Yield Curve Control (YCC); post-Brexit BoE easing |
| 2015 | $366.71B | $366.71B – $366.71B | - |
| 2014 | $362.83B | $362.83B – $362.83B | ECB and European peers introduce Negative Interest Rate Policy (NIRP) |
| 2013 | $345.69B | $345.69B – $345.69B | - |
| 2012 | $327.72B | $327.72B – $327.72B | - |
| 2011 | $306.93B | $306.93B – $306.93B | European Sovereign Debt Crisis and Swiss franc safe-haven surge |
| 2010 | $292.14B | $292.14B – $292.14B | - |
| 2009 | $270.44B | $270.44B – $270.44B | - |
| 2008 | $201.54B | $201.54B – $201.54B | Global Financial Crisis drives major central banks to the zero lower bound and QE1 |
| 2007 | $262.53B | $262.53B – $262.53B | - |
| 2006 | $239.15B | $239.15B – $239.15B | - |
| 2005 | $210.55B | $210.55B – $210.55B | - |
| 2004 | $199.20B | $199.20B – $199.20B | - |
| 2003 | $155.47B | $155.47B – $155.47B | - |
| 2002 | $121.50B | $121.50B – $121.50B | - |
| 2001 | $102.88B | $102.88B – $102.88B | Dot-com bust and synchronized G10 monetary easing cycle |
| 2000 | $96.25B | $96.25B – $96.25B | - |
| 1999 | $74.11B | $74.11B – $74.11B | Launch of the Euro and establishment of the European Central Bank (ECB) |
| 1998 | $52.10B | $52.10B – $52.10B | - |
| 1997 | $20.47B | $20.47B – $20.47B | Asian Financial Crisis triggers emergency EM currency defense hikes |
| 1996 | $34.16B | $34.16B – $34.16B | - |
| 1995 | $32.80B | $32.80B – $32.80B | - |
| 1994 | $25.76B | $25.76B – $25.76B | Global bond market selloff and pre-emptive Federal Reserve tightening cycle |
| 1993 | $20.35B | $20.35B – $20.35B | - |
| 1992 | $17.23B | $17.23B – $17.23B | European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) crisis and Black Wednesday |
| 1991 | $13.81B | $13.81B – $13.81B | - |
| 1990 | $14.92B | $14.92B – $14.92B | German reunification tightening and Japanese asset bubble peak |
| 1989 | $15.34B | $15.34B – $15.34B | - |
| 1988 | $12.48B | $12.48B – $12.48B | - |
| 1987 | $3.74B | $3.74B – $3.74B | Louvre Accord and Black Monday central bank liquidity provision |
| 1986 | $3.44B | $3.44B – $3.44B | - |
| 1985 | $2.97B | $2.97B – $2.97B | Plaza Accord coordinated G5 currency intervention depreciates USD |
| 1984 | $2.85B | $2.85B – $2.85B | - |
| 1983 | $2.46B | $2.46B – $2.46B | - |
| 1982 | $2.95B | $2.95B – $2.95B | - |
| 1981 | $2.80B | $2.80B – $2.80B | Volcker disinflation peak pushes benchmark policy rates to postwar highs |
| 1980 | $3.10B | $3.10B – $3.10B | - |
| 1979 | $3.11B | $3.11B – $3.11B | Second oil shock; Paul Volcker appointed Federal Reserve Chair |
| 1978 | $2.83B | $2.83B – $2.83B | - |
| 1977 | $2.99B | $2.99B – $2.99B | - |
| 1976 | $1.99B | $1.99B – $1.99B | - |
| 1975 | $0.80B | $0.80B – $0.80B | - |
| 1974 | $0.30B | $0.30B – $0.30B | First OPEC oil shock triggers global stagflation and steep policy rate hikes |
| 1973 | $0.90B | $0.90B – $0.90B | - |
| 1972 | $0.53B | $0.53B – $0.53B | - |
| 1971 | $0.44B | $0.44B – $0.44B | Nixon Shock suspends USD gold convertibility; Bretton Woods system ends |
| 1970 | $0.61B | $0.61B – $0.61B | - |
| 1969 | $0.55B | $0.55B – $0.55B | - |
| 1968 | $0.39B | $0.39B – $0.39B | - |
| 1967 | $0.36B | $0.36B – $0.36B | - |
| 1966 | $0.25B | $0.25B – $0.25B | Credit crunch of 1966 and monetary tightening |
| 1965 | $0.15B | $0.15B – $0.15B | - |
| 1964 | $0.14B | $0.14B – $0.14B | - |
| 1963 | $0.13B | $0.13B – $0.13B | - |
| 1962 | $0.17B | $0.17B – $0.17B | - |
| 1961 | $0.21B | $0.21B – $0.21B | - |
| 1960 | $0.16B | $0.16B – $0.16B | - |
Frequently Asked Questions - South Korea FX Reserves ($B)
How much in foreign exchange and gold reserves does South Korea hold?
As of 2025, South Korea holds $436.57 billion USD in total international reserves (including monetary gold and foreign exchange).
Statistical Provenance
Source Metadata & Methodology Notes
- Primary Institution:
- World Bank Open Data & International Monetary Fund (IFS)
- Dataset / Dataflow:
- World Development Indicators: Total Reserves Including Gold (FI.RES.TOTL.CD)
- Canonical Series ID:
- WB:FI.RES.TOTL.CD:KOR
- Reuse & License:
- Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
- Holdings of monetary gold (valued at year-end London prices), Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), reserves of IMF members held by the IMF, and holdings of foreign exchange under the control of monetary authorities.
- Values are converted from current US dollars to billions of US dollars ($10^9$).
- Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) via World Bank Development Indicators.
Academic & Media Attribution
Cite This Dataset (APA & BibTeX)
APA 7th Edition
CentralBankData.com. (2025). South Korea Foreign Exchange & Gold Reserves (USD), compiled from World Bank & IMF International Financial Statistics (FI.RES.TOTL.CD, CC BY 4.0). https://centralbankdata.com/south-korea-foreign-exchange-reserves
BibTeX
@misc{cbd_reserves_south_korea,
author = {CentralBankData.com},
title = {South Korea Foreign Exchange and Gold Reserves},
note = {Compiled from World Bank and IMF IFS FI.RES.TOTL.CD (CC BY 4.0)},
year = {2025},
url = {https://centralbankdata.com/south-korea-foreign-exchange-reserves}
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