← INNOVATIVE ECOSYSTEMS
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    South Korea

    Tier 1
    East Asia · #13 of 117 markets · IEPA 2024 (final) · 2026 current estimate available
    71.4▼ -0.2 YoY
    ●●●0.91IEPA COMPOSITE

    South Korea scores 71.4 out of 100 on the IEPA (2024 edition), ranking #13 of 117 economies. That is down 0.2 points on the year before. Its strongest zone is Innovation Capacity at 91.9. Its binding constraint, the lowest-scoring of its six zones, is FDI Accelerator at 51.3. How the IEPA works →

    SIX FACTORS · CLICK ANY SCORE FOR ITS EVIDENCE
    IEPA TRAJECTORY · 2010–2026
    2010201220142016201820202022202420264856647280
    CAPITAL FLOWS · FDI NET INFLOWS % OF GDP
    201020112012201320142015201620172018201920212023202500.350.71.051.4
    IE FDI intelligence · synced weekly
    PRODUCTIVE CAPABILITY
    IE COMPLEXITY LAYER · VINTAGE 2024
    #3of 145 ranked economies▲ 1 place since 2010
    How much productive know-how this market has demonstrated, read from the range and rarity of what it makes competitively.
    20102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023202412345
    CAPABILITY RANK · HIGHER IS BETTER
    241
    Diversity
    Distinct products made at competitive scale.
    +1.60
    Capability score
    Standardized: 0 is the world average.
    +0.98
    Outlook
    Value of the new products within reach of what it already does.
    INDUSTRY STRENGTHS · REVEALED FROM TRADE EVIDENCE
    VINTAGE 2022-2024
    POSITION IN THE PRODUCT SPACE
    IE COMPLEXITY LAYER · VINTAGE 2024
    Electronic and Electrical Goods29 of 73 made · 70% of the rest within reach
    Industrial Chemicals and Metals59 of 157 made · 55% of the rest within reach
    Metalworking and Electrical Machinery and Parts48 of 155 made · 80% of the rest within reach
    Construction, Building, and Home Supplies27 of 104 made · 60% of the rest within reach
    Textile and Home Goods14 of 78 made · 53% of the rest within reach
    Minerals5 of 48 made · 35% of the rest within reach
    Textile Apparel and Accessories2 of 50 made · 6% of the rest within reach
    Agriculture5 of 200 made · 15% of the rest within reach
    MADE COMPETITIVELYONE STEP AWAY
    Widest opening is Metalworking and Electrical Machinery and Parts. This market makes 31% of that cluster today, and 80% of what it does not make sits one step from something it already does.
    Textile Apparel and Accessories is the furthest: 4% made, and only 6% of the rest is within one step. A move there means building capability rather than extending it.
    READ ON THE 189 OF 241 COMPETITIVE PRODUCTS THAT CARRY A POSITION IN THE CAPABILITY MAP
    POSITIONED TO BUILD NEXT
    IE COMPLEXITY LAYER · VINTAGE 2024
    Screws and similar articles of iron or steel$41B world market
    Mining, Metals & MaterialsOPENS 0.36 · COMPLEXITY +0.91
    Machinery for working rubber or plastics$30B world market
    Machinery & Industrial EquipmentOPENS 0.34 · COMPLEXITY +0.99
    Machinery parts, not containing electrical features, n.e.c.$13B world market
    Machinery & Industrial EquipmentOPENS 0.32 · COMPLEXITY +0.97
    Instruments for physical or chemical analysisENERGY TRANSITION$50B world market
    Electronics & SemiconductorsOPENS 0.31 · COMPLEXITY +1.20
    Pumps, compressors, fans, etc.ENERGY TRANSITION$89B world market
    Machinery & Industrial EquipmentOPENS 0.29 · COMPLEXITY +0.85
    Heterocyclic compounds with oxygen hetero-atom(s) only$9B world market
    Chemicals & PlasticsOPENS 0.28 · COMPLEXITY +1.17
    THE NEAREST OPTIONS AMONG 367 PRODUCTS ASSESSED · RANKED BY HOW MUCH EACH OPENS UP NEXT
    LIVE SIGNALS
    Harvard Business School: Stephen Schwarzman (8)
    Nikkei Asia · Economic Policy
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    Nikkei Asia · Economic Policy
    Coal prices up 40% this year on LNG replacement demand, supply uncertainty
    Nikkei Asia · Economic Policy
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    Nikkei Asia · Economic Policy
    Global cyberattacks leak data on at least 320m people since Sept.: Nikkei research
    Nikkei Asia · Economic Policy
    PEERS · TIER 1
    🇦🇪UAE72.7→🇲🇾Malaysia65.6→🇸🇦Saudi Arabia59.8→🇻🇳Vietnam58.4→
    ECOSYSTEM DENSITY
    IE Ecosystem Registry · 2026-10-14
    2,939organizations indexed across 11 types · 2,148 mapped
    Research organizations
    600
    Universities & research bodies
    576
    Accelerators
    530
    Corporate R&D
    415
    Health research
    304
    Incubators
    248
    Government bodies
    119
    SEZ authorities
    86
    Fab labs & makerspaces
    51
    Science & tech parks
    7
    company
    3
    Universities, corporate R&D, government bodies, incubators, accelerators, science parks, and special economic zones, indexed today.Explore the directory →
    ORGANIZATIONS
    a sample of 2,939 indexed
    세컨드커브벤처스
    Accelerators · 서울
    이앤티이노베이션
    Accelerators · 전남
    호서대학교 벤처창업보육센터
    Incubators · 충청남도
    한밭대학교 창업보육센터
    Incubators · 대전광역시
    Pangyo Techno Valley
    Science & tech parks · Seongnam
    INNOPOLIS - Korea Innovation Foundation
    Science & tech parks · Daejeon
    Eogok General Industrial Complex
    SEZ authorities · Seoul · 2000
    Eoyeon Hansan Foreign Investment Zone
    SEZ authorities · Seoul · 2003
    Suwon Women’s University
    Universities & research bodies · Suwon · 1969
    National Institute of Crop Science
    Universities & research bodies · Wanju · 2008
    STARmed (South Korea)
    Corporate R&D · Goyang-si · 2011
    Korea Accounting Standards Board
    Corporate R&D · Seoul · 1997
    Members get the full directory, filters, and exports.See all 2,939 organizations →

    South Korea: common questions

    What is South Korea's IEPA score?
    South Korea scores 71.4 out of 100 on the IEPA, 2024 edition, which ranks it #13 of 117 economies.
    What is South Korea's strongest zone?
    Innovation Capacity, at 91.9. The six zones are scored separately, so a market's strengths stay visible instead of being averaged away.
    What is holding South Korea back?
    Its binding constraint is FDI Accelerator, at 51.3, the lowest of its six zones. The IEPA reports every zone separately so the constraint stays visible instead of being averaged into the composite.
    How does South Korea compare with its peers?
    The closest scored peers are UAE (72.7), Malaysia (65.6), Saudi Arabia (59.8), Vietnam (58.4).
    What is the IEPA?
    The Innovation Ecosystem Prosperity Assessment (IEPA) scores economies across six zones: innovation capacity, entrepreneurship capacity, resilience, alignment, the FDI accelerator, and prosperity outcomes. Every score carries a confidence band and traces to the evidence behind it.
    Run the full diagnostic →Talk to IE about South Korea →