Share living with less than upper middle income poverty line in Korea

Korea: Share living with less than upper middle income poverty line was 0.5 in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
0.5
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
108th
of 120 countries
All-time high
2.8
in 2010
All-time low
0.5
in 2020
Years of data
11
2006–2021

Share living with less than upper middle income poverty line in Korea, 2006–2021

0.511.522.532006201320212006: 2.72008: 2.32010: 2.82012: 2.22014: 1.92016: 1.42017: 1.32018: 0.92019: 0.62020: 0.52021: 0.5

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share living with less than upper middle income poverty line in Korea is 0.5, measured in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.

The figure is down 82.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share living with less than upper middle income poverty line in Korea peaked at 2.8 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.5, in 2020.

That places Korea 108th out of 120 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Share living with less than upper middle income poverty line in Korea, year by year

Annual values for Share living with less than upper middle income poverty line in Korea, 2006 to 2021.
Year Value Change
2006 2.7
2008 2.3 -14.8%
2010 2.8 +21.7%
2012 2.2 -21.4%
2014 1.9 -13.6%
2016 1.4 -26.3%
2017 1.3 -7.1%
2018 0.9 -30.8%
2019 0.6 -33.3%
2020 0.5 -16.7%
2021 0.5 +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 2.5 2.3 2.7 2
2010s 1.59 0.6 2.8 7
2020s 0.5 0.5 0.5 2

Countries ranked near Korea

  1. 105 Czechia 0.8381 compare
  2. 106 Denmark 0.6305 compare
  3. 107 Canada 0.6 compare
  4. 109 Finland 0.4445 compare
  5. 110 Norway 0.3676 compare
  6. 111 Iceland 0.3539 compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More poverty & inequality data for Korea

All data for Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is share living with less than upper middle income poverty line in Korea?
Share living with less than upper middle income poverty line in Korea was 0.5 in 2021, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest share living with less than upper middle income poverty line recorded in Korea?
The highest recorded value was 2.8 in 2010.
What is the lowest share living with less than upper middle income poverty line recorded in Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 0.5 in 2020.
How does Korea rank for share living with less than upper middle income poverty line?
Korea ranks 108th out of 120 countries with data for 2021.
Is share living with less than upper middle income poverty line rising or falling in Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 82.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Korea data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share living with less than upper middle income poverty line. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share living with less than upper middle income poverty line in Korea. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://poverty.statizoid.com/stat/share-living-with-less-than-upper-middle-income-poverty-line/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Share living with less than upper middle income poverty line
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
120 places, 2,148 data points, 1963–2025
Last refreshed