Wealth share of the richest 1% in South Korea
South Korea: Wealth share of the richest 1% was 26.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Wealth share of the richest 1% in South Korea, 1820–2024
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 26.1% for wealth share of the richest 1% in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and down 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wealth share of the richest 1% in South Korea peaked at 44.1% in 1930 and was at its lowest, 22.1%, in 2002.
South Korea ranks 126th of 215 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 32.9% | 32.9% | 32.9% | 1 |
| 1850s | 34.9% | 34.9% | 34.9% | 1 |
| 1880s | 41.8% | 41.8% | 41.8% | 1 |
| 1900s | 42.3% | 42.3% | 42.3% | 1 |
| 1910s | 42.9% | 42.9% | 42.9% | 1 |
| 1920s | 43.6% | 43.6% | 43.6% | 1 |
| 1930s | 44.1% | 44.1% | 44.1% | 1 |
| 1940s | 36.2% | 36.2% | 36.2% | 1 |
| 1950s | 23.1% | 23.1% | 23.1% | 1 |
| 1960s | 23.8% | 23.8% | 23.8% | 1 |
| 1970s | 24.9% | 24.9% | 24.9% | 1 |
| 1980s | 22.5% | 22.3% | 23.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 22.9% | 22.2% | 23.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.4% | 22.1% | 27.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.3% | 24.1% | 27.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.2% | 25.9% | 26.6% | 5 |
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 wealth share of the richest 1% in South Korea?
- Wealth share of the richest 1% in South Korea was 26.1% in 2024, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest wealth share of the richest 1% recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 44.1% in 1930.
- What is the lowest wealth share of the richest 1% recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.1% in 2002.
- How does South Korea rank for wealth share of the richest 1%?
- South Korea ranks 126th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is wealth share of the richest 1% rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Wealth share of the richest 1%. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
The share of wealth owned by the richest 1% of the population. Wealth is defined as the total value of non-financial and financial assets (housing, land, deposits, bonds, equities, etc.) held by households, minus their debts.