By Kang Seung-woo
Staff reporter
Last year Korea's economy remained the world's 15th largest for the second year in a row.
The World Bank announced Wednesday that Korea logged $832.5 billion in nominal gross domestic product (GDP), the broadest measure of economic performance, in 2009.
The fourth-largest Asian economy saw its GDP tallied at $929.1 billion in 2008 for 15th spot.
The top five countries retained the same ranks as in 2008. The United States placed first with $14.26 trillion, followed by Japan with $5.68 trillion and China with $4.99 trillion.
Germany with $3.35 trillion and France with $2.65 trillion rounded out the top five.
Since just failing to make the top 10 list in 2003, finishing 11th, the Korean economy has been on the wane, tumbling one notch in each of the following three years between 2004 and 2007 to rank 14th.
The economy recorded a 0.2 percent growth last year with consumer prices rising 2.8 percent.
Meanwhile, the World Bank also reported that the nation's nominal gross national income (GNI), a barometer for actual purchasing power, came in 13th last year, up one notch from 2008 at $966.6 billion, while its GNI per capita recorded $19,830 dropping the country five places to 54th from a year earlier. The exchange rate used for the ratings was the average of the past three years.
Last week, the government said that the nation's per capita income is projected to climb back to the $20,000 level on the strength of solid economic growth and the won's appreciation.