Gini coefficient (before tax) in South Korea
South Korea: Gini coefficient (before tax) was 0.5032 in 2022. ▲ Rising
Gini coefficient (before tax) 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 (before tax) in South Korea stood at 0.5032.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and up 5.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gini coefficient (before tax) in South Korea peaked at 0.5078 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.3626, in 1996.
That places South Korea 77th out of 113 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.
Gini coefficient (before tax) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 0.427 | — |
| 1991 | 0.3892 | -8.9% |
| 1996 | 0.3626 | -6.8% |
| 2000 | 0.4061 | +12.0% |
| 2007 | 0.4725 | +16.4% |
| 2008 | 0.4786 | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 0.4723 | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 0.4884 | +3.4% |
| 2011 | 0.4826 | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 0.4761 | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 0.4645 | -2.4% |
| 2014 | 0.4681 | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 0.4742 | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 0.4988 | +5.2% |
| 2017 | 0.5078 | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 0.5047 | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 0.4977 | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 0.5013 | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 0.5068 | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 0.5032 | -0.7% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 0.5032 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.4706, 1.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 0.5032 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.5606, 90% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.427 | 0.427 | 0.427 | 1 |
| 1990s | 0.3759 | 0.3626 | 0.3892 | 2 |
| 2000s | 0.4574 | 0.4061 | 0.4786 | 4 |
| 2010s | 0.4863 | 0.4645 | 0.5078 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5038 | 0.5013 | 0.5068 | 3 |
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 gini coefficient (before tax) in South Korea?
- Gini coefficient (before tax) in South Korea was 0.5032 in 2022, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gini coefficient (before tax) recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 0.5078 in 2017.
- What is the lowest gini coefficient (before tax) recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3626 in 1996.
- How does South Korea rank for gini coefficient (before tax)?
- South Korea ranks 77th out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
- Is gini coefficient (before tax) rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.7%. 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 (before tax). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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 before taxes and benefits.