South Korea
PPP-adjusted average annual wage
$61,259 2025
South Korea wage data shows a PPP-adjusted average of 61259 USD in 2025, marking a historical peak. Consumer price comparisons for 2024 reveal significant category variation against the United States benchmark. Earlier years lack price observations entirely, requiring users to rely solely on wage metrics for those periods.
1-Year Change
+0.6%
vs 2024
5-Year Change
+3.1%
vs 2020
Overall Price Level
60.1
2024 · United States = 100
Wage data: 2025 · Price data: 2024
Wage History
Track PPP-adjusted average annual wages in constant prices over time.
PPP-adjusted annual wage (USD)
USD PPP, constant 2025 prices
Wage Key Facts
Latest Wage
$61,259
Latest Year
2025
1-Year Change
+0.6%
5-Year Change
+3.1%
10-Year Change
+18.3%
Historical Peak
$61,259
Peak Year
2025
Change From Peak
0.0%
What the Wage Trend Shows
The latest PPP-adjusted average annual wage reached 61259 USD in 2025. This figure represents the highest recorded value in the available dataset for South Korea.
Long-term growth totals 107.67 percent since observations began in 1990. Recent momentum is more moderate, with a 3.1 percent increase over the last five years.
Consumer Price Levels
Compare eight consumer price categories with the United States benchmark of 100.
United States = 100
What Prices Look Like
Highest: Food
Food has the highest relative price level among the available categories, at 136 (United States = 100).
Lowest: Health
Health is the lowest at 37, −63.0 index points against the United States benchmark.
Overall vs United States
The overall price level is 60.1, below the United States benchmark (−39.9 index points).
Wage and Price Snapshot
Read the latest wage record and the selected price benchmark together, without merging their years.
Overall consumption prices stood at 60.1 in 2024, which is 39.9 points below the United States. Food costs were notably higher at 136, exceeding the benchmark by 36 points.
Housing registered an index of 38, sitting 62 points below the United States level. Health services followed a similar pattern with a value of 37 and a gap of negative 63 points.
Clothing prices measured 103, just 3 points above the United States benchmark. Transport and recreation remained lower at 73.8 and 71.6 respectively against the base index.
- Latest wage recordWage year 2025
- $61,259
- Price category coveragePrice year 2024
- 8 of 8
- Relative to United States6 below, 0 at 100
- 2 above
Compare South Korea
See how South Korea's wages and price levels compare with other OECD economies.
Sweden$61,4432025+0.3%higher
New Zealand$60,8962025−0.6%lower
France$60,4832025−1.3%lower
Finland$63,0532025+2.9%higher
Slovenia$63,3762025+3.5%higher
Lithuania$58,1122025−5.1%lower
Spain$57,7792025−5.7%lower
Israel$57,4262025−6.3%lower
Türkiye$57,2752024−6.5%lower
United Kingdom$66,2992025+8.2%higher
Canada$67,9012025+10.8%higher
Italy$53,8642025−12.1%lowerSimilar Economies
How to Read This Country Page
Three boundaries keep wage and price comparisons from being misread.
- Wage basis
- The annual wage is expressed in USD PPP at constant 2025 prices. It is an average, not a median wage, local-currency amount, or take-home figure.
- Years stay separate
- The latest wage year and the price year do not have to match. Price controls read only 2022, 2023, or 2024 and never substitute another year.
- Price benchmark
- 100 represents the United States price level. A value of 120 is reported here as 20 index points above that benchmark.
Data Coverage and Limits
See which years are actually present before comparing wage and price records.
Wage observations span 35 years from 1990 through 2025 in this dataset. The series includes 36 reported values tracking long-term earnings adjustments.
Price data availability is currently limited to the 2024 observation year only. Previous years contain null values across all eight standard consumption categories.
Latest wage figures carry an A status indicating full availability for 2025. Historical coverage begins at 29498 USD and extends to the current peak value.
- Wage observations
- 36
- Wage coverage
- 1990-2025
- Price categories · 2024
- 8 of 8
- Price categories · 2023
- 0 of 8
- Price categories · 2022
- 0 of 8
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average annual wage in South Korea?
The PPP-adjusted average annual wage in South Korea was 61259 USD in 2025. This amount reflects constant 2025 prices and stands as the highest value in the recorded series.
How has the average wage changed in South Korea?
Average wages increased by 0.58 percent over the most recent one-year period. The ten-year change shows stronger growth at 18.33 percent since 2015.
What are consumer price levels like in South Korea?
Valid consumer price data exists only for 2024, where overall consumption was 39.9 points below the United States. Price category values for 2022 and 2023 are unavailable.
Is the average wage in South Korea close to its historical peak?
Yes, the 2025 wage of 61259 USD matches the historical peak exactly. There is zero percent difference between the latest observation and the maximum recorded value.
Wage data
OECD Average Annual Wages
Price data
OECD Comparative Price Levels
Reported coverage
Wages through 2025 · Prices through 2024