The S&P Global South Korea Manufacturing PMI rose to 53.6 in April 2026 from 52.6 in March, marking the strongest expansion since February 2022. Output and new orders accelerated, driven by new product launches and client stockpiling. Export demand also edged higher, supported in part by easing US tariff-related disruptions. Production grew at the fastest pace in 20 months, while firms continued to increase purchasing activity to secure inputs. Employment also continued to rise, while backlogs increased further. However, material shortages led to further declines in input inventories. On prices, input costs and output charges surged at record rates since April 2004, driven by higher raw material, oil, and fuel prices and supply disruptions linked to the Middle East conflict. Supplier delivery times worsened to the greatest extent since June 2022, while finished goods inventories fell sharply. Looking ahead, business confidence dropped to a five-month low. source: S&P Global

Manufacturing PMI in South Korea increased to 53.60 points in April from 52.60 points in March of 2026. Manufacturing PMI in South Korea averaged 49.61 points from 2011 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 55.30 points in February of 2021 and a record low of 41.30 points in May of 2020. This page provides the latest reported value for - South Korea Manufacturing PMI - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Manufacturing PMI in South Korea increased to 53.60 points in April from 52.60 points in March of 2026. Manufacturing PMI in South Korea is expected to be 52.80 points by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the South Korea Manufacturing PMI is projected to trend around 51.50 points in 2027 and 51.20 points in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Business Confidence 74.00 71.00 points Apr 2026
Capacity Utilization 105.10 104.90 points Mar 2026
Car Production 387227.00 278250.00 Units Mar 2026
Car Registrations 164813.00 123275.00 Units Mar 2026
Changes in Inventories 2667.70 2945.00 KRW Billion Mar 2026
Coincident Index 115.70 114.70 points Feb 2026
Composite Leading Indicator 102.50 102.28 points Apr 2026
Corruption Index 63.00 64.00 Points Dec 2025
Corruption Rank 31.00 30.00 Dec 2025
Electricity Production 21529.98 23305.51 Gigawatt-hour Feb 2026
Industrial Production YoY 3.60 -2.30 percent Mar 2026
Industrial Production MoM 0.30 5.30 percent Mar 2026
Leading Economic Index 126.40 125.20 points Mar 2026
Manufacturing Production YoY 4.00 -2.00 percent Mar 2026
Mining Production 2.70 -12.50 percent Mar 2026
New Orders 14453852.00 10250716.00 KRW Million Mar 2026
Steel Production 5400.00 4800.00 Thousand Tonnes Mar 2026


South Korea Manufacturing PMI
The IHS Markit South Korea Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index measures the performance of the manufacturing sector and is derived from a survey of 400 manufacturing companies. The Index is based on five individual indexes with the following weights: New Orders (30 percent), Output (25 percent), Employment (20 percent), Suppliers’ Delivery Times (15 percent) and Stock of Items Purchased (10 percent), with the Delivery Times index inverted so that it moves in a comparable direction. A reading above 50 indicates an expansion of the manufacturing sector compared to the previous month; below 50 represents a contraction; while 50 indicates no change. This is only a limited sample of PMI headline data displayed on the Customer’s service, under licence from S&P Global. Full historic PMI headline data and all other PMI sub-index data and histories are available on subscription from S&P Global. Contact economics@spglobal.com for more details.

News Stream
South Korea Manufacturing Growth Strongest in 4 Years
The S&P Global South Korea Manufacturing PMI rose to 53.6 in April 2026 from 52.6 in March, marking the strongest expansion since February 2022. Output and new orders accelerated, driven by new product launches and client stockpiling. Export demand also edged higher, supported in part by easing US tariff-related disruptions. Production grew at the fastest pace in 20 months, while firms continued to increase purchasing activity to secure inputs. Employment also continued to rise, while backlogs increased further. However, material shortages led to further declines in input inventories. On prices, input costs and output charges surged at record rates since April 2004, driven by higher raw material, oil, and fuel prices and supply disruptions linked to the Middle East conflict. Supplier delivery times worsened to the greatest extent since June 2022, while finished goods inventories fell sharply. Looking ahead, business confidence dropped to a five-month low.
2026-05-04
South Korea Manufacturing PMI Highest Since 2022
The S&P Global South Korea Manufacturing PMI increased to 52.6 in March 2026 from 51.1 in February. It marked the strongest growth in factory activity since February 2022, as both output and new orders rose, with the former increasing at the steepest rate since August 2024 amid improved domestic demand. Meanwhile, employment rose for the first time in three months, with the rate of job creation hitting a six-month high amid reports that companies looked to take on full-time staff. Consequently, firms recorded a third consecutive monthly accumulation in backlogs of work, though the latest increase was only fractional overall. On prices, input cost inflation accelerated to its fastest pace since June 2022. As a result, output cost inflation also accelerated to the greatest degree since July 2022. Looking ahead, business sentiment deteriorated to a four-month low amid rising geopolitical tensions.
2026-04-01
South Korea Manufacturing Expands for 3rd Month
The S&P Global South Korea Manufacturing PMI came in at 51.1 in February 2026, easing marginally from 51.2 in January but signaling a third straight month of expansion in factory activity. Firms reported firmer output growth alongside a solid increase in new orders. Manufacturers frequently cited a strengthening semiconductor industry, which lifted sales to both domestic and overseas clients and shaped purchasing activity during the month. However, corporate restructuring efforts and the non-replacement of departing staff led to the sharpest contraction in employment since September 2020. At the same time, companies indicated a continued and pronounced rise in operating costs, largely attributed to elevated raw material prices and exchange rate volatility. Looking ahead, sentiment toward the year-ahead outlook remained positive midway through the first quarter, supported by the ramp-up in mass production of newly launched products and further gains in both domestic and external demand.
2026-03-03