Seoul: South Korea's per capita household net assets increased by more than 9 percent in 2025, driven by higher housing and securities prices, as revealed by the central bank data on Wednesday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the average net assets per capita for households amounted to 274.7 million won (equivalent to US$185,600) last year, reflecting a 9.1 percent rise from the previous year, as per the national balance sheet from the Bank of Korea (BOK). This calculation was derived by dividing the total assets of households and nonprofit organizations, which totaled 14,200 trillion won, by South Korea's population of 51.6 million, reported the BOK. This increase marked a significant rise compared to the 3 percent growth recorded in 2024.

A BOK official noted, "Last year, South Korea's main bourse and overseas stock markets were bullish, contributing to the gains. Housing prices also rose, leading to an asset increase." Furthermore, the BOK stated that the latest figure converts to approximately $193,000 using the average exchange rate for 2025. Comparatively, the figure for the United States at the end of 2024 was $514,000, with Australia, Canada, and Germany at $422,000, $297,000, and $267,000, respectively, while Japan's figure was $172,000.

The average household net assets were reported at 634.3 million won, showing a 7.9 percent increase over the cited period. Meanwhile, South Korea's total national net worth reached 24,561 trillion won at the end of 2025, marking a 2.2 percent increase from the previous year, though this growth was slower than the 5 percent rise observed in 2024.

Non-financial assets, such as land and housing, amounted to 23,291 trillion won, an increase of 3.8 percent from the previous year, propelled by higher property prices. The combined value of property assets in the country was 17,836 trillion won, up 4.1 percent from the preceding year. However, net financial assets experienced a decline, falling 20.4 percent to 1,271 trillion won.

The BOK highlighted that although financial assets rose by 11.4 percent to 2,794 trillion won, debt increased at a faster rate, climbing 13.6 percent to 3,120 trillion won. In terms of sectors, households and nonprofit organizations held the largest amount of net assets, valued at 14,200 trillion won, followed by the government with 6,194 trillion won, non-financial corporations with 3,657 trillion won, and financial corporations with 510 trillion won.