Stock market return in Korea

Korea: Stock market return was 4.7% in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
4.7%
Change on year
down 87.3%
World rank
71st
of 86 countries
All-time high
71.9%
in 1985
All-time low
-35.7%
in 1995
Years of data
38
1984–2021

Stock market return in Korea, 1984–2021

-2502550751984200220211984: 21.5 %, year-on-year1985: 71.9 %, year-on-year1986: 71.1 %, year-on-year1987: 48.7 %, year-on-year1988: 25.8 %, year-on-year1989: -17.7 %, year-on-year1990: -12.8 %, year-on-year1991: -6 %, year-on-year1992: 1.7 %, year-on-year1993: 27 %, year-on-year1994: 22.8 %, year-on-year1995: -35.7 %, year-on-year1996: 27.7 %, year-on-year1997: 1.1 %, year-on-year1998: 23 %, year-on-year1999: 31.5 %, year-on-year2000: 2.6 %, year-on-year2001: 29.2 %, year-on-year2002: -0.508 %, year-on-year2003: -29.6 %, year-on-year2004: 25.3 %, year-on-year2005: 10.3 %, year-on-year2006: 19.1 %, year-on-year2007: -5.4 %, year-on-year2008: 0.487 %, year-on-year2009: 1.2 %, year-on-year2010: 1.3 %, year-on-year2011: 0.939 %, year-on-year2012: 1.5 %, year-on-year2013: -2.5 %, year-on-year2014: 2.9 %, year-on-year2015: 15.2 %, year-on-year2016: 4.4 %, year-on-year2017: -10.9 %, year-on-year2018: -4.2 %, year-on-year2019: 1.2 %, year-on-year2020: 37.4 %, year-on-year2021: 4.7 %, year-on-year

Source: Bloomberg. Measured in %, year-on-year.

Analysis

In 2021, stock market return in Korea stood at 4.7%.

The figure is down 87.3% on the previous year and up 404.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, stock market return in Korea peaked at 71.9% in 1985 and was at its lowest, -35.7%, in 1995.

That places Korea 71st out of 86 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 36.9% -17.7% 71.9% 6
1990s 8.0% -35.7% 31.5% 10
2000s 5.3% -29.6% 29.2% 10
2010s 1.0% -10.9% 15.2% 10
2020s 21.1% 4.7% 37.4% 2

Countries ranked near Korea

  1. 68 Hong Kong (China) 7.1% compare
  2. 69 Oman 6.2% compare
  3. 70 Tunisia 6.0% compare
  4. 72 Malaysia 3.3% compare
  5. 73 Tanzania, United Republic of 2.8% compare
  6. 74 Jamaica 1.4% compare

See the full ranking of 86 places →

More financial sector data for Korea

All data for Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is stock market return in Korea?
Stock market return in Korea was 4.7% in 2021, according to Bloomberg.
What is the highest stock market return recorded in Korea?
The highest recorded value was 71.9% in 1985.
What is the lowest stock market return recorded in Korea?
The lowest recorded value was -35.7% in 1995.
How does Korea rank for stock market return?
Korea ranks 71st out of 86 countries with data for 2021.
Is stock market return rising or falling in Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 404.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Korea data come from?
The figures come from Bloomberg, published as part of Stock market return (%, year-on-year). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Stock market return in Korea. Statizoid, drawing on Bloomberg. Retrieved 22 August 2026, from https://financial-sector.statizoid.com/stat/stock-market-return-percent-year-on-year/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Stock market return (%, year-on-year)
Unit
%, year-on-year
Source
Bloomberg
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
86 places, 2,319 data points, 1984–2021
Last refreshed

Stock market return is the growth rate of annual average stock market index. Annual average stock market index is constructed by taking the average of the daily stock market indexes available at Bloomberg.