Exports by Mid-Sized Companies Rise 6.9% Year-on-Year in Q3

Korea Federation of Middle Market Enterprises Announces "Export Trends of Mid-Sized Companies for the Third Quarter of 2025"

In the third quarter of this year, exports by mid-sized companies increased by 6.9% compared to the same period last year. This figure is 0.4 percentage points higher than the overall export growth rate of South Korea during the same period (6.5%).

On November 27, the Korea Federation of Middle Market Enterprises announced the "Export Trends of Mid-Sized Companies for the Third Quarter of 2025," which included these findings. The export volume of mid-sized companies in the third quarter of this year reached 32.29 billion dollars, up 1.0% from the previous quarter. This marks the highest quarterly performance since statistics were first compiled in 2022, and the second consecutive quarter of growth.

The share of mid-sized companies in total exports for the third quarter was 17.5%, an increase of 0.1 percentage points compared to the same period last year. By sector, exports from mid-sized manufacturing companies rose by 7.0% year-on-year to 28.4 billion dollars, while the non-manufacturing sector increased by 6.4% to 3.89 billion dollars.

Within the manufacturing sector, there were increases in electronic components (9.84 billion dollars, up 14.2%), automobiles (3.99 billion dollars, up 13.4%), and chemicals (2.89 billion dollars, up 1.5%). However, there were decreases in machinery and equipment (2.48 billion dollars, down 7.8%) and rubber and plastics (1.28 billion dollars, down 11.9%).

In the non-manufacturing sector, wholesale and retail (2.90 billion dollars, up 5.1%) showed growth, while services (400 million dollars, down 6.6%) declined.

By product category, there were notable increases in automobiles (610 million dollars, up 64.2%), ships (660 million dollars, up 41.8%), semiconductors (7.82 billion dollars, up 24.1%), fine chemicals (2.33 billion dollars, up 13.7%), and home appliances (370 million dollars, up 11.2%).

By region, exports expanded to ASEAN (7.71 billion dollars, up 23.0%), Japan (1.39 billion dollars, up 3.0%), India (1.03 billion dollars, up 5.7%), and the Middle East (920 million dollars, up 27.8%). However, exports to China (6.08 billion dollars, down 14.6%), the United States (4.70 billion dollars, down 7.8%), and the European Union (2.97 billion dollars, down 24.8%) decreased.

Lee Hojun, Executive Vice Chairman of the Korea Federation of Middle Market Enterprises, stated, "Although some trade and commerce uncertainties have been alleviated following the conclusion of Korea-U.S. trade and security negotiations, major challenges remain, including an industrial transformation driven by AI technology, the U.S.-China power struggle, and instability in global supply chains." He added, "To ensure that the momentum of export growth by mid-sized companies for two consecutive quarters becomes an opportunity for a broad industrial resurgence, we will work closely with the government and the National Assembly to create an effective policy environment, including expanding export financing, supporting diversification of export markets, and providing overseas market information."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.