Economic Trends
Current Economic Trends
Apr 2026
In January, facility investment and retail sales increased, while industrial production and construction investment declined. In February, employment went up with a larger increase in the number of employed persons, while inflation maintained the same growth rate as the previous month.
In January, total industrial production (down 1.3% m-o-m and up 4.1% y-o-y), as services sector remained flat (0.0% m-o-m and up 4.4% y-o-y), while production in the industrial sector (down 1.9% m-o-m and up 7.1% y-o-y) and construction (down 11.3% m-o-m and down 9.7% y-o-y) declined.
In January, the cyclical indicator of the coincident composite index remained flat, while the cyclical indicator of the leading composite index edged up by 0.7 points.
In January, facility investment (up 6.8% m-o-m and up 15.3% y-o-y) and retail sales (up 2.3% m-o-m and up 0.1% y-o-y) picked up.
In February, the Consumer Sentiment Index (CSI) improved. The Composite Business Sentiment Index (CBSI) and the CBSI outlook also increased.
In February, exports increased by 28.7 percent year-on-year, driven by strong performance in semiconductors, computers, and ships. Notably, the daily average export amount reached $3.5 billion, a 49.0 percent increase year-on-year.
In February, the number of employed persons increased by 234,000 year-on-year in February up from 108,000 in January, while the unemployment rate stood at 3.4 percent, up 0.2 percentage points year-on-year.
In February, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 2.0 percent year-on-year, unchanged from 2.0 percent in January. The index excluding food and energy rose by 2.3 percent.
In February, housing prices (up 0.23% m-o-m) and Jeonse (lump-sum deposits with no monthly payments) prices rose (up 0.22% m-o-m).
In February, Korean equity prices rose, yields for Korean Treasury Bond declined, and the Korean Won slightly weakened against the dollar.
Recently, the Korean economy has shown a continued recovery trend, supported by improvements in domestic demand, such as consumption, and robust exports led by semiconductors.
However, uncertainties persist, including employment difficulties in vulnerable sectors, the recovery speed of construction investment, and the impact of U.S. tariffs. Furthermore, heightened geopolitical risks, such as rising international oil prices due to the situation in the Middle East, have increased concerns over inflation, burdens on people's livelihoods, and downside risks to the economy.
The global economy is also facing increased volatility in international financial markets and energy prices due to the situation in the Middle East and the deterioration of the trade environment stemming from tariff measures by major economies, raising concerns over a slowdown in trade and growth.
To minimize the impact of developments in the Middle East, the government plans to swiftly formulate a supplementary budget to support livelihoods and economic recovery. It also plans to monitor all sectors 24/7 led by the pan-government joint emergency response team and respond promptly to any signs of abnormal developments.
* For further details, please refer to the attached file.
In January, total industrial production (down 1.3% m-o-m and up 4.1% y-o-y), as services sector remained flat (0.0% m-o-m and up 4.4% y-o-y), while production in the industrial sector (down 1.9% m-o-m and up 7.1% y-o-y) and construction (down 11.3% m-o-m and down 9.7% y-o-y) declined.
In January, the cyclical indicator of the coincident composite index remained flat, while the cyclical indicator of the leading composite index edged up by 0.7 points.
In January, facility investment (up 6.8% m-o-m and up 15.3% y-o-y) and retail sales (up 2.3% m-o-m and up 0.1% y-o-y) picked up.
In February, the Consumer Sentiment Index (CSI) improved. The Composite Business Sentiment Index (CBSI) and the CBSI outlook also increased.
In February, exports increased by 28.7 percent year-on-year, driven by strong performance in semiconductors, computers, and ships. Notably, the daily average export amount reached $3.5 billion, a 49.0 percent increase year-on-year.
In February, the number of employed persons increased by 234,000 year-on-year in February up from 108,000 in January, while the unemployment rate stood at 3.4 percent, up 0.2 percentage points year-on-year.
In February, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 2.0 percent year-on-year, unchanged from 2.0 percent in January. The index excluding food and energy rose by 2.3 percent.
In February, housing prices (up 0.23% m-o-m) and Jeonse (lump-sum deposits with no monthly payments) prices rose (up 0.22% m-o-m).
In February, Korean equity prices rose, yields for Korean Treasury Bond declined, and the Korean Won slightly weakened against the dollar.
Recently, the Korean economy has shown a continued recovery trend, supported by improvements in domestic demand, such as consumption, and robust exports led by semiconductors.
However, uncertainties persist, including employment difficulties in vulnerable sectors, the recovery speed of construction investment, and the impact of U.S. tariffs. Furthermore, heightened geopolitical risks, such as rising international oil prices due to the situation in the Middle East, have increased concerns over inflation, burdens on people's livelihoods, and downside risks to the economy.
The global economy is also facing increased volatility in international financial markets and energy prices due to the situation in the Middle East and the deterioration of the trade environment stemming from tariff measures by major economies, raising concerns over a slowdown in trade and growth.
To minimize the impact of developments in the Middle East, the government plans to swiftly formulate a supplementary budget to support livelihoods and economic recovery. It also plans to monitor all sectors 24/7 led by the pan-government joint emergency response team and respond promptly to any signs of abnormal developments.
* For further details, please refer to the attached file.
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