Korea

Korea — Average salary

KR desk: Korea first; United States, Japan, China, Taiwan, euro area, United Kingdom and Australia alongside.

$4,525

+$511 (+12.7%)

As of 2022 | 2021 PPP $ per month

Latest
$4,525 2022
Previous year
$4,015 2021
Min
$1,236 1990
Max
$4,525 2022
YearAverage salary
2022$4,525
2021$4,015
2020$3,867
2019$3,780
2018$3,665
2017$3,474
2016$3,465
2015$3,406
2014$3,252
2013$3,192
2012$3,276
2011$3,197
2010$3,067
2009$3,006
1992$1,476
1991$1,351
1990$1,236
#CountryAverage salaryChangeYear
8United States$6,273+$288 (+4.8%)202521Korea, Rep.$4,525+$511 (+12.7%)202222United Kingdom$4,500+$52 (+1.2%)202532Australia$3,926+$281 (+7.7%)2021
44Japan$2,809+$85 (+3.1%)2021
78China$1,435+$129 (+9.9%)2022

What average monthly earnings are

Average monthly earnings of employees (ILOSTAT EAR_EMTA_SEX_CUR_NB) are the mean gross monthly pay of employees, both sexes, converted to 2021 PPP dollars. Latest for Korea: $4,525 in 2022.

This is not take-home pay: it is a national mean, before tax, for employees only, and survey coverage differs by country. From 1990 to 2022 (17 years): latest $4,525 (2022), previous year $4,015 (2021); low $1,236 (1990), high $4,525 (2022).

Source: ILOSTAT. Licence: CC BY 4.0 (International Labour Organization) (terms).

Reading this series

This series is the mean of monthly employee earnings. It is produced by ILOSTAT as indicator EAR_EMTA_SEX_CUR_NB for both sexes, published annually and expressed in 2021 PPP dollars. Because it is an arithmetic mean, it is pulled upward by high earners more than the median is. Values are gross employee pay, before income tax and social insurance, and they are not take-home pay. Only employees are covered; self-employed and contributing family workers are not part of the average.

National sources differ in survey coverage, reference period and how part-time work is treated, and the ILO converts each national series to a common purchasing-power basis. Comparisons are therefore broad. Use the chart and range buttons for the trend within one economy, and the ranked table for the latest published year. Published estimates are revised from time to time, so a later rebuild may show a different historical value.

About this desk

Korea appears first, with comparison economies where the producer publishes them. This desk filters the same official series as the all-countries view; it does not recalculate values.

Average and median monthly earnings come from ILOSTAT, in 2021 PPP dollars. These are gross employee earnings before tax, not take-home pay. National coverage differs.

Chart and Table show the same observations. Range buttons change only the displayed years; use Country to switch desks. Each page names its source and licence.