1-Year Change
+0.6%
vs 2024
5-Year Change
+3.1%
vs 2020
Overall Price Level
60.1
2024 · United States = 100
For South Korea, the latest reported PPP-adjusted average wage is $61,259 in 2025. This profile connects the annual wage series with 2024 consumer price indices, while keeping their years, units and missing observations separate. Reported values remain tied to their original years.
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
South Korea's chaebol-SME gap, labour-market duality, and Seoul costs create a segmented wage setting. Large-company salaries cannot stand in for all workers.
The long record is a major convergence success followed by more recent moderation. Annual changes should not be credited directly to technology exports.
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.
The latest available PPP-adjusted average wage for South Korea is $61,259 for 2025. Its one-year change is +0.6%, while the ten-year change is +18.3%.
All eight consumer price categories have a reported value for 2024. 2 reported categories are above the United States benchmark, 6 are below it, and 0 are at 100.
The wage observation is from 2025, while the selected consumer price view is for 2024. They remain separate records on this page and are not combined into a same-year score.
- 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$61,443+0.3%higher
New Zealand$60,896−0.6%lower
France$60,483−1.3%lower
Finland$63,053+2.9%higher
Slovenia$63,376+3.5%higher
Lithuania$58,112−5.1%lower
Spain$57,779−5.7%lower
Israel$57,426−6.3%lower
Türkiye$57,275−6.5%lower
United Kingdom$66,299+8.2%higherFor South Korea, the latest reported PPP-adjusted average wage is $61,259 in 2025. This profile connects the annual wage series with 2024 consumer price indices, while keeping their years, units and missing observations separate. Reported values remain tied to their original years.
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
Open custom comparisonSimilar Economies
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average annual wage in South Korea?
The most recent figure is $61,259 for 2025, expressed in USD PPP at constant 2025 prices. That basis adjusts for price level differences between economies, so it is not a local-currency salary. The year remains visible because wage and consumer price records do not necessarily cover the same period.
How has the average wage changed in South Korea?
It is currently at the top of its series: $61,259 in 2025, which is also the historical peak. The ten-year change is +18.3%. The chart keeps the annual observations visible so the short and long horizons can be checked separately.
What are consumer price levels like in South Korea?
Against the United States benchmark of 100, the overall level is 60.1. Food is the most expensive category at 136, and Health the least at 37. These are relative price indices for 2024, not prices in a local currency.
Is the average wage in South Korea close to its historical peak?
It is the peak. The latest year (2025) records the highest value in the series, $61,259, and no earlier year in the data is higher. No broader conclusion is drawn beyond the reported series and benchmark values.
Wage data
OECD Average Annual Wages
Price data
OECD Comparative Price Levels
Reported coverage
Wages through 2025 · Prices through 2024