Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in South Korea
South Korea: Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median was 12.6% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in South Korea, 2006–2021
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in South Korea is 12.6%, measured in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in South Korea peaked at 15.5% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 12.3%, in 2010.
That places South Korea 46th out of 120 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.
Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 12.8% | — |
| 2008 | 12.9% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 12.3% | -4.7% |
| 2012 | 12.8% | +4.1% |
| 2014 | 12.3% | -3.9% |
| 2016 | 15.5% | +26.0% |
| 2017 | 15.3% | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 14.2% | -7.2% |
| 2019 | 13.5% | -4.9% |
| 2020 | 12.3% | -8.9% |
| 2021 | 12.6% | +2.4% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 12.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 11.5%, 1.1× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 12.6% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 11.3%, 1.1× the median. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 12.9% | 12.8% | 12.9% | 2 |
| 2010s | 13.7% | 12.3% | 15.5% | 7 |
| 2020s | 12.4% | 12.3% | 12.6% | 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 relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in South Korea?
- Relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in South Korea was 12.6% in 2021, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 15.5% in 2016.
- What is the lowest relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.3% in 2010.
- How does South Korea rank for relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median?
- South Korea ranks 46th out of 120 countries with data for 2021.
- Is relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.4%. 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 Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median. 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
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below 50% of the median.