Wealth and income percentiles in South Korea
How much net worth or income does it take to be in the top 10% or top 1% in South Korea? Model estimates for 42.7 million adults aged 20+, reference level 2025.
Net worth thresholds in South Korea
Net worth is private assets (property, deposits, securities, business ownership) minus debt, per adult. Thresholds show the minimum net worth needed to belong to each group.
| Group of adults | Threshold, KRW | Threshold, USD |
|---|---|---|
| Median (top 50%) | KRW 46,900,000 | USD 34,900 |
| Top 10% | KRW 1,190,000,000 | USD 886,000 |
| Top 5% | KRW 1,350,000,000 | USD 1,010,000 |
| Top 1% | KRW 3,810,000,000 | USD 2,840,000 |
| Top 0.1% | KRW 11,300,000,000 | USD 8,450,000 |
| Average (mean) | KRW 324,000,000 | USD 242,000 |
Income thresholds in South Korea
Income is a harmonized pre-tax economic income per adult used for cross-country comparison. It is broader than wages and includes capital income, pensions and some imputed components.
| Group of adults | Threshold, KRW | Threshold, USD |
|---|---|---|
| Median (top 50%) | KRW 33,900,000 | USD 25,300 |
| Top 10% | KRW 89,900,000 | USD 67,100 |
| Top 5% | KRW 119,000,000 | USD 88,700 |
| Top 1% | KRW 250,000,000 | USD 186,000 |
| Top 0.1% | KRW 864,000,000 | USD 644,000 |
| Average (mean) | KRW 47,900,000 | USD 35,700 |
South Korea in a global context
South Korea has 0.77% of the world’s adults. About 25.1% of them are in the world’s top 10% by net worth and 2.2% are in the global top 1%. By income, the shares are 25.9% and 1.1%.
The median adult in South Korea is in the global top 27.7% by net worth and the global top 16.2% by income. South Korea is home to about 1.72% of the world’s top 1% by net worth.
Data quality and sources
The curves for South Korea are built from the World Inequality Database’s 127-percentile estimates (2026 update), which combine tax records, surveys and national accounts; where a country has few direct sources, WID fills gaps from similar countries. The score shows how much direct national data stands behind the estimates, from 1 (strong direct national sources) to 5 (mainly imputed). The notes describe the national sources we have reviewed.
| Measure | Score | National data reviewed |
|---|---|---|
| Net worth | 3 | Country-specific WIR/WID estimates with broad wealth shares and means. Not a complete national individual distribution; large parts of the curve and extreme tail are modelled. |
| Income | 3 | Country-specific WIR/WID estimates with broad income shares and means. Not a direct official national wage/register distribution; thresholds between groups are modelled. |
- World Inequality Report 2026: Country Sheets
- World Inequality Lab TN 2026/04: Global Inequality Update
- World Inequality Report 2026: Country Sheets
- World Inequality Lab TN 2026/04: Global Inequality Update
Amounts are converted at fixed exchange rates of 2026-10-09; they do not adjust for purchasing power. Thresholds in the extreme top are modelled and uncertain.
Frequently asked questions
How much net worth do you need to be in the top 1% in South Korea?
About KRW 3,810,000,000 in net worth (assets minus debt) per adult, according to the WealthPercentile model for 2025. The top 10% starts at about KRW 1,190,000,000.
What is the median income in South Korea?
The median adult in South Korea has a broad pre-tax economic income of about KRW 33,900,000 a year. This measure is broader than wages: it includes capital income and some imputed components, so it is higher than a typical payslip.
How many adults in South Korea are in the global top 1%?
About 2.2% of adults in South Korea are in the world’s top 1% by net worth, and 1.1% by income.
How reliable are these numbers?
They are model estimates. The data-quality score for South Korea is 3/5 for net worth and 3/5 for income, where 1 means strong direct source coverage and 5 means mainly modelled.