How does South Korea rank for income inequality: gini coefficient before and after tax?

South Korea ranks 18th out of 48 countries with data for 2021.

Is income inequality: gini coefficient before and after tax rising or falling in South Korea?

Over the last ten years it is up 7.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this South Korea data come from?

The figures come from Luxembourg Income Study (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Income inequality: Gini coefficient before and after tax. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Income inequality: Gini coefficient before and after tax in South Korea

Name: Income inequality: Gini coefficient before and after tax in South Korea
Creator: Luxembourg Income Study (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

South Korea: Income inequality: Gini coefficient before and after tax was 0.3315 in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)

0.3315

Change on year

up 0.3%

World rank

18th

of 48 countries

All-time high

0.3535

in 2016

All-time low

0.3021

in 2014

Years of data

2006–2021

Income inequality: Gini coefficient before and after tax in South Korea, 2006–2021

Source: Luxembourg Income Study (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for income inequality: gini coefficient before and after tax in South Korea is 0.3315, measured in 2021.

The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 7.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, income inequality: gini coefficient before and after tax in South Korea peaked at 0.3535 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.3021, in 2014.

That places South Korea 18th out of 48 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
2000s	0.3097	0.3056	0.3138	2
2010s	0.3291	0.3021	0.3535	7
2020s	0.331	0.3304	0.3315	2

Countries ranked near South Korea

15 Vietnam 0.3498 compare
16 Georgia 0.3425 compare
17 Israel 0.3413 compare
19 Italy 0.3279 compare
20 Australia 0.325 compare
21 Switzerland 0.3147 compare

See the full ranking of 48 places →

More poverty & inequality data for South Korea

Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 6 surveys (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)
Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 26.9% (2023)
Gender Inequality Index 0.038 (2023)
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty 18.6% (2023)
Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in women 0.0683 (2023)
Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient by sex 0.0683 (2023)
Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in men 0.0778 (2023)
Income inequality: Atkinson index 0.1642 (2023)

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is income inequality: gini coefficient before and after tax in South Korea?: Income inequality: gini coefficient before and after tax in South Korea was 0.3315 in 2021, according to Luxembourg Income Study (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest income inequality: gini coefficient before and after tax recorded in South Korea?: The highest recorded value was 0.3535 in 2016.
What is the lowest income inequality: gini coefficient before and after tax recorded in South Korea?: The lowest recorded value was 0.3021 in 2014.
How does South Korea rank for income inequality: gini coefficient before and after tax?: South Korea ranks 18th out of 48 countries with data for 2021.
Is income inequality: gini coefficient before and after tax rising or falling in South Korea?: Over the last ten years it is up 7.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Korea data come from?: The figures come from Luxembourg Income Study (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Income inequality: Gini coefficient before and after tax. 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: Income inequality: Gini coefficient before and after tax
Source: Luxembourg Income Study (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 48 places, 1,046 data points, 1963–2024
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

The Gini coefficient measures inequality on a scale from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher inequality. Inequality is measured here in terms of income after taxes and benefits.