K-Content Trade
How Does K-Content Earn Abroad?
The 2024 industry survey shows what content businesses exported. The provisional 2025 balance-of-payments data shows how much money crossed the border. These are separate lenses and are not combined.
Provisional ECOS data for 2025 · The figures use different classification axes and must not be added together or offset.
Industry survey lens · 2024
How has the export mix shifted?
Compare the 2005–2024 export shares of games, music, broadcasting and video, comics, and other industries on a 100% basis using the KOSIS Content Industry Survey.
2024 export mix
- Games
- 60.4%
- Music
- 12.8%
- Broadcasting & video
- 8.9%
- Comics
- 1.9%
- Other
- 16.0%
| Year | Games | Music | Broadcasting & video | Comics | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 43.4% | 1.7% | 9.4% | 0.3% | 45.3% |
| 2006 | 48.9% | 1.2% | 9.8% | 0.3% | 39.8% |
| 2007 | 40.2% | 0.7% | 7.8% | 0.2% | 51.2% |
| 2008 | 46.8% | 0.7% | 7.3% | 0.2% | 45.0% |
| 2009 | 47.6% | 1.2% | 7.1% | 0.2% | 43.9% |
| 2010 | 49.8% | 2.6% | 7.1% | 0.3% | 40.3% |
| 2011 | 55.3% | 4.6% | 5.2% | 0.4% | 34.6% |
| 2012 | 57.2% | 5.1% | 5.1% | 0.4% | 32.2% |
| 2013 | 55.2% | 5.6% | 6.3% | 0.4% | 32.5% |
| 2014 | 56.4% | 6.4% | 6.4% | 0.5% | 30.4% |
| 2015 | 56.8% | 6.7% | 5.7% | 0.5% | 30.3% |
| 2016 | 54.5% | 7.4% | 6.8% | 0.5% | 30.7% |
| 2017 | 67.2% | 5.8% | 4.1% | 0.4% | 22.5% |
| 2018 | 66.7% | 5.9% | 5.0% | 0.4% | 22.1% |
| 2019 | 65.3% | 7.4% | 4.7% | 0.5% | 22.1% |
| 2020 | 68.7% | 5.7% | 5.8% | 0.5% | 19.3% |
| 2021 | 69.6% | 6.2% | 5.8% | 0.7% | 17.7% |
| 2022 | 67.8% | 7.0% | 7.2% | 0.8% | 17.2% |
| 2023 | 62.9% | 9.2% | 7.8% | 1.3% | 18.8% |
| 2024 | 60.4% | 12.8% | 8.9% | 1.9% | 16.0% |
Where the statistical basis changed
- 2017 2017 · Overseas revenue of Korean game companies was included
- 2019 2019 · Broadcasting changed from finished-program exports to the whole broadcasting industry
- 2024 2024 · Broadcasting became broadcasting and video, reflecting the second revision of the special content-industry classification
Industry survey lens · 2024
Industries with more workers are not always the strongest exporters
The x-axis is employment, the y-axis is exports per worker, and bubble size is revenue. No ECOS balance is mixed into this scene.
KOSIS 2024 Content Industry Survey · Bubble size represents revenue; ECOS balances are not used for color
| Industry | Employees | Exports per worker | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Publishing | 181,024people | 2,221.6USD/person | 242,237.5100M KRW |
| Comics | 29,279people | 8,998.6USD/person | 34,260.7100M KRW |
| Music | 73,677people | 24,450.6USD/person | 132,728.9100M KRW |
| Film | 28,899people | 1,450.9USD/person | 49,385.7100M KRW |
| Games | 87,576people | 97,098.1USD/person | 238,515.3100M KRW |
| Animation | 6,832people | 16,744.7USD/person | 11,392.6100M KRW |
| Broadcasting & video | 51,923people | 24,212.4USD/person | 249,943.5100M KRW |
| Advertising | 75,860people | 1,553.2USD/person | 197,885.2100M KRW |
| Characters | 19,400people | 23,672.1USD/person | 70,958.7100M KRW |
| Knowledge information | 92,656people | 9,437.4USD/person | 246,991.5100M KRW |
| Content solutions | 40,996people | 5,851.1USD/person | 99,721.7100M KRW |
Two lenses
Industry exports and money crossing the border are not the same figure
Industry survey lens · 2024
KOSIS surveys content businesses for exports, employment, and revenue. This lens asks what each industry sold abroad.
Cross-border money lens · provisional 2025
Bank of Korea ECOS records receipts, payments, and net balances between residents and non-residents by transaction item.
Read exports, employment, and revenue through the industry survey; read receipts, payments, and balances through the balance of payments. Each scene keeps its own reference year and definition visible.
Cross-border money lens · provisional 2025
How much was received, and how much was paid?
Split provisional 2025 ECOS receipts and payments to opposite sides, then compare surpluses and deficits with the net balance at the center.
| Transaction item | Receipts | Payments | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Publishing | 0.6100M USD | 0.9100M USD | −0.3100M USD |
| Comics | 2.3100M USD | 0.5100M USD | +1.8100M USD |
| Music | 15.5100M USD | 2.6100M USD | +12.8100M USD |
| Film | 1.1100M USD | 0.9100M USD | +0.2100M USD |
| Games | 55.6100M USD | 14.3100M USD | +41.3100M USD |
| Animation | 2.7100M USD | 1.0100M USD | +1.7100M USD |
| Broadcasting & video | 16.1100M USD | 9.5100M USD | +6.7100M USD |
| Advertising | 6.2100M USD | 9.7100M USD | −3.6100M USD |
| Characters | 0.4100M USD | 0.2100M USD | +0.2100M USD |
| Knowledge information | 5.6100M USD | 24.1100M USD | −18.5100M USD |
| Content solutions | 6.8100M USD | 5.1100M USD | +1.8100M USD |
| Performing arts | 0.0100M USD | 0.1100M USD | 0.0100M USD |
This line covers computer and mobile software rights transactions, not the software industry. It must not be combined with or offset against the content-industry balance.
Sources & Methods
Reference years and definitions stay separate
We do not force different surveys and accounting systems into one number. Each chart states the question it answers and its limitations.
| Lens | Source | Dataset | Reference year | Unit | How to read it | Original |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industry survey | Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism · KOCCA · KOSIS | Content-industry exports, employment, and revenue DT_113_STBL_1024776 · DT_113_STBL_1024788 · 11 industry revenue overview tables | Exports 2024 · employment and revenue 2024 | USD · people · 100M KRW | These are exports reported in an industry survey. Their definition differs from ECOS receipts and payments, so the figures must not be added or subtracted. | Open source data · KOSIS 1024776 Open source data · KOSIS 1024788 Open source data · MCST |
| Cross-border money | Bank of Korea ECOS | Content-industry receipts, payments, and balance 304Y106 | 2025, provisional | 100M USD | These are content-related balance-of-payments transactions between residents and non-residents. Do not directly compare or combine them with KOSIS industry exports. | Open source data · ECOS BOK · 2025 reference release |
| Cross-border money | Bank of Korea ECOS | Computer and mobile software rights transactions 304Y101 · ISA0122 | 2025, provisional | 100M USD | This is the computer and mobile software rights-transactions item, not the software industry as a whole. Do not offset it against the content-industry balance. | Open source data · ECOS |