Seoul: South Korea's per capita income edged up by 0.3 percent in 2025, maintaining its position in the $36,000 range. This increase occurred despite the depreciation of the Korean won against the U.S. dollar, which offset actual income growth, as revealed by central bank data on Tuesday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the nominal per capita gross national income (GNI) reached $36,855 last year, reflecting a 0.3 percent increase from the previous year. This data comes from preliminary figures released by the Bank of Korea (BOK).

In terms of the local currency, the GNI increased by 4.6 percent from the prior year, reaching 52.42 million won in 2025. The per capita GNI first exceeded $30,000 in 2014 and gradually approached $38,000 in 2021. It then fell to the $35,000 range in 2022 before recovering to $36,195 in 2023. Growth rates slowed to 1.5 percent in 2024 and 0.3 percent last year, keeping the figure in the $36,000 range for the third consecutive year.

Nominal gross domestic product (GDP) experienced a 4.2 percent year-on-year growth to 2,663.3 trillion won in 2025. However, it saw a decline of 0.1 percent in dollar terms, reaching $1.87 trillion due to the weaker won.

The value of the Korean won per dollar decreased by 4.3 percent last year, influenced by imbalances in foreign exchange supply and demand and substantial overseas securities investments by local investors, among other factors, as reported by the central bank.

"Taiwan's per capita GNI in 2025 rose to $40,585, driven by the semiconductor boom," stated Kim Hwa-yong, head of the BOK's national income department. "Japan's per capita GNI also increased to the $38,000 level following its base-year revision in December last year."

South Korea ranked sixth in per capita GNI among nations with populations of 50 million or more, following the United States, Germany, Britain, France, and Italy. "Assuming no further impact from the won-dollar exchange rate, our per capita GNI is expected to surpass $40,000 in 2027," the official added.