Bank concentration in South Korea
South Korea: Bank concentration was 56.3% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Bank concentration in South Korea, 2000–2021
Source: Bankscope, Bureau van Dijk (BvD). Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for bank concentration in South Korea is 56.3%, measured in 2021.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 9.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, bank concentration in South Korea peaked at 100.0% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 49.8%, in 2013.
That places South Korea 133rd out of 170 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Bank concentration in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 100.0% | — |
| 2005 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 51.8% | -48.2% |
| 2011 | 51.3% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 50.4% | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 49.8% | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 50.1% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 64.1% | +27.9% |
| 2016 | 55.3% | -13.8% |
| 2017 | 82.1% | +48.5% |
| 2018 | 82.1% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 56.9% | -30.7% |
| 2020 | 56.4% | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 56.3% | -0.2% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 56.3% is below the median for high income countries, which is 73.1%, 77% of the median. (63 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 56.3% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 56.7%, 99% of the median. (18 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Bank concentration in South Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | +48.5% | 55.3% | 82.1% |
| 2010 | -48.2% | 100.0% | 51.8% |
| 2019 | -30.7% | 82.1% | 56.9% |
| 2015 | +27.9% | 50.1% | 64.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 2010s | 59.4% | 49.8% | 82.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 56.4% | 56.3% | 56.4% | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More financial sector data for South Korea
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, annual growth rate 6.29 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0016 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per capita 58.67 units per person (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, annual growth rate 1.21 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0012 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per capita 42.84 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, annual growth rate 6.29 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0016 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per capita 58.67 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, SDR, annual growth rate 1.21 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is bank concentration in South Korea?
- Bank concentration in South Korea was 56.3% in 2021, according to Bankscope, Bureau van Dijk (BvD).
- What is the highest bank concentration recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 2000.
- What is the lowest bank concentration recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 49.8% in 2013.
- How does South Korea rank for bank concentration?
- South Korea ranks 133rd out of 170 countries with data for 2021.
- Is bank concentration rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Bankscope, Bureau van Dijk (BvD), published as part of Bank concentration (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Raw data are from Bankscope. (Sum(data2025) for three largest banks in Bankscope) / (Sum(data2025) for all banks in Bankscope). Only reported if number of banks in Bankscope is 3 or more. Calculated from underlying bank-by-bank unconsolidated data from Bankscope.