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Work & incomeSouth Korea

Tax on pay in South Korea

How much of my salary never arrives?

South Korea's tax on pay is 16.53 % — #5 of 37 countries on the atlas (lower is better). Period 2025.

16.53%

Checked 4 Sept 2026Period 2025

Source: OECD Taxing Wages + OECD Tax Database

Of every $100 of gross pay at the average wage in South Korea, about $17 goes to income tax and employee social contributions.

Among 37 countries

1 of 37 countries between 0.00 % and 1.61 %1 of 37 countries between 6.45 % and 8.07 %1 of 37 countries between 9.68 % and 11.29 %1 of 37 countries between 12.91 % and 14.52 %1 of 37 countries between 16.13 % and 17.75 %1 of 37 countries between 17.75 % and 19.36 %1 of 37 countries between 19.36 % and 20.97 %2 of 37 countries between 20.97 % and 22.58 %6 of 37 countries between 22.58 % and 24.20 %6 of 37 countries between 24.20 % and 25.81 %2 of 37 countries between 25.81 % and 27.42 %4 of 37 countries between 27.42 % and 29.04 %1 of 37 countries between 29.04 % and 30.65 %2 of 37 countries between 30.65 % and 32.26 %2 of 37 countries between 32.26 % and 33.88 %1 of 37 countries between 33.88 % and 35.49 %1 of 37 countries between 35.49 % and 37.10 %3 of 37 countries between 37.10 % and 38.72 %median 24.93 %South Korea: ahead of 86 % of the 37 countries with a published tax on paySouth Korea 16.53 %0.00 %38.72 %
Half of all 37 countries sit between 22.64 % and 29.28 %. South Korea is ahead of 86 % of them. Axis trimmed to the 2nd–98th percentile; 1 value beyond it sits in the end bars.
Rank
#5 of 37
lower is better
Ranked behind
86 %
32 of 37 countries

vs median 24.93 %: −8.40 pp (better)

The neighbourhood

#CountryTax on payvs South Korea
3 Costa Rica9.85 %−6.69 pp
4 Mexico13.17 %−3.36 pp
5 South Korea16.53 %—
6 Switzerland18.05 %+1.52 pp
7 New Zealand20.81 %+4.28 pp

Income tax plus employee social contributions as a share of gross pay, for a single person at the average wage (OECD). The share of a salary that never arrives.

How to read this figure

The OECD net personal average tax rate: income tax plus the EMPLOYEE’s social contributions as a share of gross wage earnings, for a single person with no children at exactly the average wage. This is the rate you can apply to a salary. It is deliberately smaller than the tax wedge on the same page, which measures a wider bite (it adds the employer’s contributions) over a wider base (total labour cost) — two honest answers to two different questions.

Next, about South Korea

Take-home payTax wedgeTop income taxAverage monthly salary
Tax on pay, all countries ranked →Compare South Korea with another country →Everything about South Korea →
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