Business climate in South Korea
South Korea ranks #14 of 54 on the overall business climate (score 64). Its strongest suit is red tape, followed by cost of capital; the weakest is momentum.
| Driver | Score | Rank | Measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red tape and ease of doing business | 85 | #6 of 54 | Regulatory framework (World Bank B-READY 2025): 79 (2025); Business entry (B-READY): 81 (2025); Public services for business (B-READY): 80 (2025); Days to start a business (Doing Business): 4.00 (2017); Procedures to start a business (Doing Business): 2.00 (2017); Ease of doing business rank (Doing Business, 1 = easiest of 190): 4.00 (2017) |
| Rule of law and legal certainty | 64 | #27 of 54 | Liberal democracy (V-Dem): 0.74 (2025); Corruption perceptions score (higher = cleaner): 63 (2025); Strength of legal rights for borrowers and lenders: 5.00 (2017); Dispute resolution (B-READY): 64 (2025) |
| Taxes on business | 61 | #23 of 53 | Corporate income tax rate (headline): 26 (2026); Total tax and contribution rate on commercial profits: 33 (2017); Taxation administration (B-READY): 75 (2025) |
| Cost of capital | 67 | #12 of 27 | Real interest rate: 1.03 (2025); Bank lending interest rate: 4.19 (2025); Access to finance (B-READY): 73 (2025) |
| Energy prices for business | – | – | no comparable figure yet |
| Growth momentum and investment trend | 38 | #37 of 53 | Real GDP growth, average of the last five years: 2.39 (2025); Growth trend: last three years against 2015-2019: -1.47 (2025); Foreign direct investment, net inflows: 1.00 (2023) |
Countries with a similar profile
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United Kingdom · 
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Find the best business sites in South Korea
Open the mapSources as on the business-climate table. Nestlyzer scores each measure 0–100 between the 5th and 95th percentile of the countries it covers. How the method works.