Income share of the richest 10% before and after tax in Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea: Income share of the richest 10% before and after tax was 33.6% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Income share of the richest 10% before and after tax in Republic of Korea, 1982–2022
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, income share of the richest 10% before and after tax in Republic of Korea stood at 33.6%.
That represents a change of down 1.7% on the previous year and down 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, income share of the richest 10% before and after tax in Republic of Korea peaked at 36.4% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 24.9%, in 1996.
That places Republic of Korea 76th out of 109 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.
Income share of the richest 10% before and after tax in Republic of Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 31.4% | — |
| 1991 | 29.6% | -5.9% |
| 1996 | 24.9% | -15.9% |
| 2000 | 27.3% | +9.7% |
| 2007 | 33.1% | +21.2% |
| 2008 | 33.8% | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 33.9% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 36.4% | +7.1% |
| 2011 | 35.4% | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 34.6% | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 32.9% | -4.7% |
| 2014 | 33.3% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 33.9% | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 34.4% | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 34.9% | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 34.0% | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 32.5% | -4.2% |
| 2020 | 33.1% | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 34.2% | +3.1% |
| 2022 | 33.6% | -1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 31.4% | 31.4% | 31.4% | 1 |
| 1990s | 27.2% | 24.9% | 29.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 32.0% | 27.3% | 33.9% | 4 |
| 2010s | 34.2% | 32.5% | 36.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.6% | 33.1% | 34.2% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Korea
- 73 Republic of Moldova 34.2% compare
- 74 Malaysia 34.0% compare
- 75 Bosnia and Herzegovina 33.7% compare
- 77 Montenegro 33.4% compare
- 78 Albania 33.1% compare
- 79 Poland 33.1% compare
More economy & growth data for Republic of Korea
- Services, value added (constant LCU), per capita 26.07 million constant LCU per person (2025)
- GDP deflator (base year varies by country), annual growth rate 3.13 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), annual growth 0.0121 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.9302 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per capita 33,699 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), annual growth 4.34 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per unit of GDP 1,323 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per capita 47.93 million current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), annual 1.17 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), per unit 0.9641 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is income share of the richest 10% before and after tax in Republic of Korea?
- Income share of the richest 10% before and after tax in Republic of Korea was 33.6% in 2022, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest income share of the richest 10% before and after tax recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 36.4% in 2010.
- What is the lowest income share of the richest 10% before and after tax recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.9% in 1996.
- How does Republic of Korea rank for income share of the richest 10% before and after tax?
- Republic of Korea ranks 76th out of 109 countries with data for 2022.
- Is income share of the richest 10% before and after tax rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Republic of 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 Income share of the richest 10% before and after tax. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of income received by the richest 10% of the population. Income here is measured after taxes and benefits.