Poverty: Share of population living on less than $1 a day in South Korea

South Korea: Poverty: Share of population living on less than $1 a day was 0.0% in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
0.0%
World rank
100th
of 120 countries
All-time high
0.2%
in 2006
All-time low
0.0%
in 2018
Years of data
11
2006–2021

Poverty: Share of population living on less than $1 a day in South Korea, 2006–2021

00.050.10.150.22006201320212006: 0.2 %2008: 0.2 %2010: 0.2 %2012: 0.1 %2014: 0.1 %2016: 0.1 %2017: 0.1 %2018: 0 %2019: 0 %2020: 0 %2021: 0 %

Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

South Korea recorded 0.0% for poverty: share of population living on less than $1 a day in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.

That represents a change of down 100.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, poverty: share of population living on less than $1 a day in South Korea peaked at 0.2% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2018.

That places South Korea 100th out of 120 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 2
2010s 0.1% 0.0% 0.2% 7
2020s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2

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See the full ranking of 120 places →

More reference data data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is poverty: share of population living on less than $1 a day in South Korea?
Poverty: share of population living on less than $1 a day in South Korea was 0.0% in 2021, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest poverty: share of population living on less than $1 a day recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 0.2% in 2006.
What is the lowest poverty: share of population living on less than $1 a day recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2018.
How does South Korea rank for poverty: share of population living on less than $1 a day?
South Korea ranks 100th out of 120 countries with data for 2021.
Is poverty: share of population living on less than $1 a day rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 100.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
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 Poverty: Share of population living on less than $1 a day. 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
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $1 a day
Unit
%
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

Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $1 per day.