Although the average household net worth increased this year, the net worth of vulnerable groups decreased. Net worth inequality also widened to a record high. The gap in real estate holdings by income appears to have had an impact.
According to the 2025 Household Finance and Welfare Survey released on the 4th by the National Data Office, the Bank of Korea, and the Financial Supervisory Service, the average household net worth as of the end of March this year was 471.44 million won. That was up 5% from a year earlier.
Comparing net worth by income quintile, net worth increased in all groups at or above the second quintile. The second quintile rose 3.3%, the third 2.2%, and the fourth 4.7%. The fifth quintile, the top 20% (1.11365 billion won), increased 7.9%, the largest gain.
By contrast, the net worth of the first quintile, the bottom 20% by income, fell 4.9% to 142.44 million won. In the first quintile, both assets and liabilities decreased. An official at the National Data Office said, "As the real estate ownership rate in the first quintile declined, assets decreased, and liabilities also fell 15.5% due to a drop in collateral loans."
This year's net worth Gini coefficient (wealth inequality) was 0.625, the highest on record. It rose 0.014 from a year earlier, indicating a wider asset gap. The first-quintile household net worth fell by more than 7.3 million won, while the fifth quintile increased by more than 80 million won, which had an effect. An official at the National Data Office analyzed, "Growth in real assets led to an expansion of net worth in the fifth quintile, further widening the asset gap."
The Ministry of Economy and Finance said it will focus on policies that can create a virtuous cycle between growth and distribution. The Ministry of Economy and Finance (MOEF) said, "Through the AI grand transformation and the 30 leading projects for an ultra-innovation economy, we will do our utmost to expand growth potential, while reflecting policy tasks such as strengthening the social safety net for vulnerable groups and tailored job support in the economic growth strategy and releasing them in stages."