Gini coefficient: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank in South Korea
South Korea: Gini coefficient: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank was 0.4321 in 2022. ▲ Rising
Gini coefficient: 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.
Analysis
In 2022, gini coefficient: world inequality database vs. world bank in South Korea stood at 0.4321.
The figure is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gini coefficient: world inequality database vs. world bank in South Korea peaked at 0.4587 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.3499, in 1996.
South Korea ranks 78th of 109 countries on this measure, 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 | 0.4152 | 0.4152 | 0.4152 | 1 |
| 1990s | 0.3619 | 0.3499 | 0.3738 | 2 |
| 2000s | 0.4279 | 0.3872 | 0.4454 | 4 |
| 2010s | 0.4414 | 0.4246 | 0.4587 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4337 | 0.4312 | 0.4379 | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 75 Moldova 0.4534 compare
- 76 Malaysia 0.4525 compare
- 77 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.4454 compare
- 79 Latvia 0.4247 compare
- 81 North Macedonia 0.4112 compare
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)
- 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)
- Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty 18.6% (2023)
- Income inequality: Atkinson index 0.1642 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gini coefficient: world inequality database vs. world bank in South Korea?
- Gini coefficient: world inequality database vs. world bank in South Korea was 0.4321 in 2022, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gini coefficient: world inequality database vs. world bank recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 0.4587 in 2010.
- What is the lowest gini coefficient: world inequality database vs. world bank recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3499 in 1996.
- How does South Korea rank for gini coefficient: world inequality database vs. world bank?
- South Korea ranks 78th out of 109 countries with data for 2022.
- Is gini coefficient: world inequality database vs. world bank rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.5%. 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 Gini coefficient: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
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.