Income share of the richest 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank in South Korea
South Korea: Income share of the richest 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank was 11.9% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Income share of the richest 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank in South Korea, 1982–2022
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 11.9% for income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and down 21.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank in South Korea peaked at 15.5% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 5.2%, in 1996.
That places South Korea 65th out of 109 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 7.3% | 7.3% | 7.3% | 1 |
| 1990s | 6.5% | 5.2% | 7.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 11.1% | 6.1% | 13.5% | 4 |
| 2010s | 13.7% | 11.1% | 15.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.6% | 11.2% | 11.9% | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More reference data data for South Korea
- Spring temperature anomalies 1.1 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.7164 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month -0.8996 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 2.24 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.9115 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 135 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank in South Korea?
- Income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank in South Korea was 11.9% in 2022, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 15.5% in 2010.
- What is the lowest income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.2% in 1996.
- How does South Korea rank for income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank?
- South Korea ranks 65th out of 109 countries with data for 2022.
- Is income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Income share of the richest 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The share of income received by the richest 1% of the population. Income here is measured after taxes and benefits.