The number of listed companies in South Korea surpassed the 2,000 mark last year due to an initial public offering boom in the KOSDAQ and KONEX markets, data showed Wednesday.

According to the Korea Exchange, there were 2,030 firms listed on the benchmark KOSPI market, the tech-heavy KOSDAQ and the KONEX market for ventures and startups as of late 2015, up 125 from 1,905 tallied a year earlier.

"By market, the number of companies on the KOSPI dipped from 773 to 770, but a surge in IPOs propped up listed firms traded on the KOSDAQ and KONEX exchanges," the KRX said. "The rise in the number of listed companies marks the sharpest on-year gain since 2002."

Data showed that listed companies fluctuated up and down from 1,700 to 1,800 firms in the 2007-2013 period, before breaking the 1,900 mark in 2014.

The number of stocks issued by these listed companies also rose from 59.22 billion in 2014 to more than 63.67 billion last year.

The KRX added with the rise in the total number of listed companies on the three markets, the variety of shares traded expanded from 2,035 to 2,149.

The exchange said its goal for 2016 is to further support IPOs of companies that have growth potential. Listing a company on the stock exchange can make it easier for companies to generate capital that is critical for sustainable growth.

"There is no IPO target, but we want to surpass last year's numbers if possible," a KRX source said. (Yonhap)