A decade of real-wage growth, then a plateau
Korea's inflation-adjusted average monthly wage rose 24.1% from ₩290.10,000 in 2011 to ₩359.90,000 in 2021. Over the 4 years since, it has moved just 0.2%, reaching ₩360.70,000 in 2025.
Read this before the table: it flattened, it did not fall
Real wage did not decline after 2021 — it essentially stopped rising. The 24.1% gained over the prior decade compares to 0.2% over the 4 years since. This page does not say why — a one-time inflation surge, the pace of minimum-wage increases, and productivity growth are all candidates, and none is measured here.
Real average monthly wage, 2011–2025 (₩10,000 units)
| Year | Real wage (₩10,000) | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 290.1 | — |
| 2012 | 298.8 | 3.0% |
| 2013 | 305 | 2.1% |
| 2014 | 308.4 | 1.1% |
| 2015 | 315.3 | 2.2% |
| 2016 | 324.3 | 2.9% |
| 2017 | 328.4 | 1.3% |
| 2018 | 340.8 | 3.8% |
| 2019 | 351 | 3.0% |
| 2020 | 352.6 | 0.5% |
| 2021 | 359.9 | 2.1% |
| 2022 | 359.5 | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 355.5 | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 357.3 | 0.5% |
| 2025 | 360.7 | 1.0% |
| 2026 (5mo, partial) | 364.8 | — |
Nominal wage ÷ (CPI ÷ 100), both KOSIS. The 2026 row is not annualized.
What this page does not say
- No cause for the post-2021 plateau — only the measured real-wage levels.
- No by-industry, by-firm-size, or by-worker-type (regular vs. non-regular) breakdown yet.
- This is an all-industry average — it does not describe any individual worker's pay trajectory.
- 2026 is partial-year data and is not comparable to the full-year rows above it.
This is not investment or employment advice.
Source
KOSIS — nominal wage from 고용노동부 사업체노동력조사 (Ministry of Employment and Labor, Survey of Labor Conditions by Employment Type; tables DT_118N_MON041/051/054 across industry-classification revisions), deflated by 소비자물가지수 (DT_1J22003, 2020=100). Annual, 2011–2025, plus 5 months of 2026.
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