Distribution of population between different poverty lines in South Korea
South Korea: Distribution of population between different poverty lines was 35.98 million people in 2021. ▲ Rising
Distribution of population between different poverty lines in South Korea, 2006–2021
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for distribution of population between different poverty lines in South Korea is 35.98 million people, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.6% on the previous year and up 79.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of population between different poverty lines in South Korea peaked at 35.98 million people in 2021 and was at its lowest, 18.21 million people, in 2006.
That places South Korea 8th out of 120 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
Distribution of population between different poverty lines in South Korea, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 18.21 million people | — |
| 2008 | 19.03 million people | +4.5% |
| 2010 | 20.02 million people | +5.2% |
| 2012 | 22.79 million people | +13.8% |
| 2014 | 24.31 million people | +6.7% |
| 2016 | 29.14 million people | +19.9% |
| 2017 | 30.41 million people | +4.3% |
| 2018 | 31.78 million people | +4.5% |
| 2019 | 33.44 million people | +5.2% |
| 2020 | 34.73 million people | +3.9% |
| 2021 | 35.98 million people | +3.6% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 35.98 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.96 million people, 7.3× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 35.98 million people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.83 million people, 7.4× the median. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 18.62 million people | 18.21 million people | 19.03 million people | 2 |
| 2010s | 27.41 million people | 20.02 million people | 33.44 million people | 7 |
| 2020s | 35.36 million people | 34.73 million people | 35.98 million people | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More poverty & inequality data for South Korea
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 6 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 0.72 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 6,615 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 0.0454 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 26.87 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 26.9% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is distribution of population between different poverty lines in South Korea?
- Distribution of population between different poverty lines in South Korea was 35.98 million people in 2021, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest distribution of population between different poverty lines recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 35.98 million people in 2021.
- What is the lowest distribution of population between different poverty lines recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.21 million people in 2006.
- How does South Korea rank for distribution of population between different poverty lines?
- South Korea ranks 8th out of 120 countries with data for 2021.
- Is distribution of population between different poverty lines rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 79.7%. 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 Distribution of population between different poverty lines. 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
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $40 per day.