Is Our Household Truly Wealthy?... How Much Is Needed to Join the Top 1%?

Households Need at Least 3.5 Billion Won in Net Assets to Enter the Top 1%
Top 0.5% Starts at 4.74 Billion Won, Top 0.1% at 9.71 Billion Won

The threshold for households in the top 1% by net assets was found to be 3.48 billion won. For the top 0.1% of wealthy individuals, the cut-off reached 9.7 billion won. The average net assets of top 1% households amounted to 6.1 billion won.

The threshold for the top 0.5% is 4.74 billion won, and for the top 0.1% it starts at 9.71 billion won

According to NH Investment & Securities' "Top 1% Wealthy Households Report" released on April 16, as of March last year, the threshold for households in the top 1% by net assets in Korea was approximately 3.48 billion won. In other words, households needed at least 3.5 billion won in net assets to be included in the top 1%. The threshold for the top 0.5% was 4.74 billion won, while for the top 0.1% it reached 9.71 billion won.

In 2024, the 1% cut-off was 3.3 billion won, marking an increase of 180 million won in one year. During the same period, the threshold for the top 0.1% of households rose from 8.67 billion won to 9.71 billion won, up by 12%, recording a significant growth rate.

Jinwoong Kim, Research Fellow at NH Investment & Securities 100-Year Life Research Institute, commented, "We can see that the phenomenon of 'wealth concentration,' where the growth rate accelerates as asset size increases, is intensifying." He added, "Because the impact of rising financial asset and real estate prices is greater on the upper asset classes, securing surplus assets early is the shortcut to becoming wealthy."

The average age of household heads in the top 1% was 63.1 years, and they held average net assets of about 6.1 billion won (6.08 billion won). The high average age among wealthy individuals is attributed to the fact that such wealth can only be accumulated through consistent economic activity and asset management over more than 30 years.

The median net assets of top 1% households was around 4.7 billion won, a figure close to the threshold for the top 0.5% (4.74 billion won). Kim stated, "Generally, households with net assets between 5 billion and 6 billion won can reasonably be recognized as wealthy."

The average number of family members in the top 1% households was about three (2.84 people). Among these, three out of four households (74.2%) resided in the Seoul metropolitan area.

The average total assets of the top 1% of households is 6.74 billion won

The average total assets (net assets plus liabilities) of the top 1% of households stood at 6.74 billion won, up about 11% from the previous year's 6.06 billion won. In terms of asset composition, non-residential real estate accounted for the largest portion, rising from 55.7% in 2024 to 57.9% in 2025. Meanwhile, the share of financial assets decreased from 18.9% to 15.3%, indicating a relative decline.

The income level of top 1% households increased from 243.95 million won in 2024 to 257.72 million won in 2025, showing an overall upward trend. Looking at the breakdown of income, the share of earned income slightly decreased from 44.7% to 44.4%. The proportion of property income was 37.7%, and business income accounted for 13.1%.

Among the top 1% households that have not yet retired, their retirement preparation status showed that they hoped to retire at age 70, with a desired minimum monthly living expense of 4.17 million won and an appropriate monthly amount of 6.23 million won. Of these, 57.3% responded that their retirement preparation was "very well" or "well" prepared, exceeding the majority, while 32.7% said it was "average," and 10% or less responded that their preparation was "not well" or worse.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.