South Korea vs Sweden

Compare PPP-adjusted average wages, long-term wage trends and consumer price levels using consistent OECD data.

Country A

Country B

Wage data: 2025 · Price data: 2024

Comparison Overview

South Korea

Average wage (2025)

$61,259

1-year change: +0.6%
5-year change: +3.1%

Overall price level (2024)

60.1 (United States = 100)

Sweden's latest PPP-adjusted average wage is approximately 0.3% higher than South Korea's.

Sweden

Average wage (2025)

$61,443

1-year change: +0.9%
5-year change: −1.7%

Overall price level (2024)

81.5 (United States = 100)

Sweden has the higher latest average wage of the two, by 0.3% on a PPP-adjusted basis. Over five years South Korea shows the stronger change (+3.1% against −1.7%). Overall consumer prices are higher in Sweden, at 81.5 against 60.1 on the United States = 100 scale — a gap of +21.4 index points. Both wage figures are for 2025 and the price levels for 2024, so the two economies are read at the same point in each series.

Wage History

See how PPP-adjusted average annual wages have changed in both economies.

PPP-adjusted annual wage (USD)

South KoreaSweden

USD PPP, constant 2025 prices

Wage Key Facts

Metric	South Korea	Sweden
Latest wage	$61,259	$61,443
Latest year	2025	2025
1-year change	+0.6%	+0.9%
5-year change	+3.1%	−1.7%
10-year change	+18.3%	+3.2%
Historical peak	$61,259	$63,923
Peak year	2025	2021
Change from peak	0.0%	−3.9%

How the Wage Trends Compare

Current Position

South Korea and Sweden sit close together. South Korea reports $61,259 for 2025 and Sweden $61,443 for 2025 — a difference of 0.3%, small enough that the two read as comparable rather than ranked.

Both figures are for 2025, so this is a like-for-like comparison of the same year rather than of two different latest points.

Both use the same basis: PPP-adjusted US dollars at constant prices. That conversion strips out the price level differences between the two economies, which is what makes the two figures comparable at all — neither is a local-currency salary, and neither is what an employer in that country would write on a contract.

Recent Momentum

Sweden had the stronger latest year (+0.9% against +0.6%).

Both moved up in the latest year, which leaves the ordering between them unchanged.

Widening the window to five years, the stronger of the two is South Korea: +3.1% against −1.7%.

This is where the two separate: Sweden's latest year runs against its own five-year direction, while South Korea's does not. Short-term and medium-term signals agree for one and conflict for the other.

Long-Term Direction

Across ten years both series are up — +18.3% for South Korea and +3.2% for Sweden. Over this horizon the two share a direction, and the difference between them is one of pace.

South Korea is at its historical peak in the latest year, while Sweden sits 3.9% from its high of 2021. One has recovered its previous ground and the other has not.

Consumer Price Level Comparison

Compare eight consumer price categories with the United States benchmark of 100.

United States = 100
Missing values are shown as -

All differences are shown in index points. United States = 100.

Category	South Korea	Sweden	Difference (KOR − SWE)	KOR vs U.S.	SWE vs U.S.
Overall	60.1	81.5	−21.4	−39.9	−18.5
Food	136	90.8	+45.2	+36.0	−9.2
Clothing	103	109	−6.0	+3.0	+9.0
Housing	38	64.2	−26.2	−62.0	−35.8
Health	37	71.4	−34.4	−63.0	−28.6
Transport	73.8	117	−43.2	−26.2	+17.0
Recreation	71.6	98.4	−26.8	−28.4	−1.6
Restaurants & Accommodation	82.4	97	−14.6	−17.6	−3.0

Overall
South Korea60.1
Sweden81.5
Difference−21.4
KOR vs U.S.−39.9
SWE vs U.S.−18.5
Food
South Korea136
Sweden90.8
Difference+45.2
KOR vs U.S.+36.0
SWE vs U.S.−9.2
Clothing
South Korea103
Sweden109
Difference−6.0
KOR vs U.S.+3.0
SWE vs U.S.+9.0
Housing
South Korea38
Sweden64.2
Difference−26.2
KOR vs U.S.−62.0
SWE vs U.S.−35.8
Health
South Korea37
Sweden71.4
Difference−34.4
KOR vs U.S.−63.0
SWE vs U.S.−28.6
Transport
South Korea73.8
Sweden117
Difference−43.2
KOR vs U.S.−26.2
SWE vs U.S.+17.0
Recreation
South Korea71.6
Sweden98.4
Difference−26.8
KOR vs U.S.−28.4
SWE vs U.S.−1.6
Restaurants & Accommodation
South Korea82.4
Sweden97
Difference−14.6
KOR vs U.S.−17.6
SWE vs U.S.−3.0

South Korea and Sweden in Detail

Current Wage Position

South Korea reports a PPP-adjusted average annual wage of $61,259 for 2025, and Sweden $61,443 for 2025. That puts Sweden ahead by 0.3%.

Both figures are PPP-adjusted: converted using purchasing power parities rather than market exchange rates, and expressed in constant prices so different years stay comparable.

This matters for reading the gap. A market-rate conversion would move with currency markets and would not reflect what the money buys in each economy. These figures are built to compare purchasing power, not to tell you what a currency transfer would be worth.

Recent Wage Momentum

In the latest reported year South Korea changed by +0.6% and Sweden by +0.9%. A single year is a narrow window, so it is worth reading alongside the five-year figure rather than on its own.

Over five years, South Korea records the larger change at +3.1%, against −1.7% for Sweden. That is the difference in how far each series has travelled over the medium term, in real PPP-adjusted terms.

Short-term and five-year movement point the same way for both economies, so neither is currently being pulled against its own medium-term direction.

Long-Term Wage Direction

Across ten years the changes are +18.3% for South Korea and +3.2% for Sweden. This is the longest horizon the data covers, and it is the one least affected by any single year's movement.

South Korea reached its highest recorded value of $61,259 in 2025, and the latest figure sits 0.0% from that high.

Sweden peaked at $63,923 in 2021, leaving its latest value 3.9% away from that point.

Both long-term series move the same way, so the difference between these two economies is one of degree over ten years rather than of direction.

Consumer Price Profile

Against the United States benchmark of 100, overall consumption sits at 60.1 in South Korea and 81.5 in Sweden — −21.4 index points apart.

The categories that separate them most are Food (+45.2) and Transport (−43.2).

Clothing is where they are nearest, at 103 and 109.

Across the categories with data, Sweden is the more expensive of the two more often than not.

How to Interpret the Comparison

These are average wages, not median wages, and not take-home pay. An average is pulled by the whole distribution, so it does not describe a typical individual, occupation, city or employer in either economy.

The wage figures are already PPP-adjusted and in constant prices. They are not local-currency salaries and not amounts convertible at a market exchange rate.

The price levels are relative indices against United States = 100. They describe how price levels compare, not what a household actually spends.

Wages and price levels should not be combined into a verdict on which country is better. This page is for understanding how the two wage trends and price structures differ — nothing further follows from it.