Threshold income or consumption per month marking the poorest decile, the median, and the richest decile in South Korea

South Korea: Threshold income or consumption per month marking the poorest decile, the median, and the richest decile was 736.85 international-$ in 2021 prices in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
736.85 international-$ in 2021 prices
Change on year
up 2.4%
World rank
21st
of 120 countries
All-time high
736.85 international-$ in 2021 prices
in 2021
All-time low
450.62 international-$ in 2021 prices
in 2006
Years of data
11
2006–2021

Threshold income or consumption per month marking the poorest decile, the median, and the richest decile in South Korea, 2006–2021

02004006008002006201320212006: 450.6 international-$ in 2021 prices2008: 453.6 international-$ in 2021 prices2010: 474.3 international-$ in 2021 prices2012: 498.7 international-$ in 2021 prices2014: 530.8 international-$ in 2021 prices2016: 547.5 international-$ in 2021 prices2017: 574.8 international-$ in 2021 prices2018: 622.2 international-$ in 2021 prices2019: 666.4 international-$ in 2021 prices2020: 719.4 international-$ in 2021 prices2021: 736.9 international-$ in 2021 prices

Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in international-$ in 2021 prices.

Analysis

In 2021, threshold income or consumption per month marking the poorest decile, the median, and the richest decile in South Korea stood at 736.85 international-$ in 2021 prices. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 55.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, threshold income or consumption per month marking the poorest decile, the median, and the richest decile in South Korea peaked at 736.85 international-$ in 2021 prices in 2021 and was at its lowest, 450.62 international-$ in 2021 prices, in 2006.

That places South Korea 21st out of 120 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 452.11 international-$ in 2021 prices 450.62 international-$ in 2021 prices 453.6 international-$ in 2021 prices 2
2010s 559.23 international-$ in 2021 prices 474.27 international-$ in 2021 prices 666.37 international-$ in 2021 prices 7
2020s 728.14 international-$ in 2021 prices 719.44 international-$ in 2021 prices 736.85 international-$ in 2021 prices 2

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 18 Sweden 793.64 international-$ in 2021 prices compare
  2. 19 United States 788.73 international-$ in 2021 prices compare
  3. 20 United Kingdom 770.23 international-$ in 2021 prices compare
  4. 22 Taiwan 734.22 international-$ in 2021 prices compare
  5. 23 Czechia 658.52 international-$ in 2021 prices compare
  6. 24 Italy 619 international-$ in 2021 prices compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More reference data data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is threshold income or consumption per month marking the poorest decile, the median, and the richest decile in South Korea?
Threshold income or consumption per month marking the poorest decile, the median, and the richest decile in South Korea was 736.85 international-$ in 2021 prices in 2021, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest threshold income or consumption per month marking the poorest decile, the median, and the richest decile recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 736.85 international-$ in 2021 prices in 2021.
What is the lowest threshold income or consumption per month marking the poorest decile, the median, and the richest decile recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 450.62 international-$ in 2021 prices in 2006.
How does South Korea rank for threshold income or consumption per month marking the poorest decile, the median, and the richest decile?
South Korea ranks 21st out of 120 countries with data for 2021.
Is threshold income or consumption per month marking the poorest decile, the median, and the richest decile rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 55.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Korea data come from?
The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Threshold income or consumption per month marking the poorest decile, the median, and the richest decile. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Threshold income or consumption per month marking the poorest decile, the median, and the richest decile
Unit
international-$ in 2021 prices
Source
World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
120 places, 2,148 data points, 1963–2025
Last refreshed

The level of income or consumption per month below which 10% of the population falls.