Average wage · OECD
South Korea vs Turkey: average wage in 2021
In 2021 the average full-time gross wage in South Korea was €2,888 a month, against €821 in Turkey. In euros, that puts Turkey at 28% of this level, and at 62% once price levels are taken into account.
Source: OECD, average annual wages · Eurostat exchange rates · Checked: 1 November 2026
South Korea
2021
€2,888
gross, per month
- Per year
- €34,658
- National currency, per month
- KRW 3,910,715
- Purchasing power (PPP $, 2025 prices)
- $4,987
Turkey
2021
€821
gross, per month
- Per year
- €9,848
- In lira, per month
- ₺8,628
- Purchasing power (PPP $, 2025 prices)
- $3,116
The gap
In euros
28% Turkey as a share of the level in South Korea
Once price levels are taken into account
62% Turkey as a share of the level in South Korea
South Korea and Turkey over time
- South Korea
- Turkey
- Median of countries
Show the numbers
| Period | South Korea | Turkey | Median of countries |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | €2,814 | €852 | €2,421 |
| 2021 | €2,888 | €821 | €2,581 |
| 2022 | €2,950 | €886 | €2,676 |
| 2023 | €2,960 | €1,274 | €2,746 |
| 2024 | €2,973 | €1,740 | €2,917 |
| 2025 | €2,799 | not published | too few countries yet |
- South Korea
- Turkey
- Median of countries
Show the numbers
| Period | South Korea | Turkey | Median of countries |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $4,952 | $2,993 | $4,784 |
| 2021 | $4,987 | $3,116 | $4,946 |
| 2022 | $4,891 | $3,065 | $4,807 |
| 2023 | $4,933 | $4,010 | $4,872 |
| 2024 | $5,076 | $4,773 | $5,023 |
| 2025 | $5,105 | not published | too few countries yet |
Every country, 2021
Average gross wage per month, in euros, highest first.
- 1Switzerland€6,976
- 2Luxembourg€5,981
- 3United States€5,245
- 4Denmark€5,181
- 5Norway€4,995
- 6Australia€4,788
- 7Ireland€4,417
- 8Netherlands€4,253
- 9Canada€4,200
- 10Belgium€4,114
- 11New Zealand€4,003
- 12Austria€3,909
- 13Sweden€3,888
- 14Finland€3,838
- 15Germany€3,743
- 16United Kingdom€3,657
- 17France€3,222
- 18Japan€3,047
- 19South Korea€2,888
- 20Italy€2,581
- 21Spain€2,457
- 22Slovenia€2,374
- 23Lithuania€1,809
- 24Estonia€1,752
- 25Portugal€1,647
- 26Czechia€1,563
- 27Latvia€1,490
- 28Costa Rica€1,485
- 29Chile€1,441
- 30Greece€1,354
- 31Slovakia€1,350
- 32Croatia€1,313
- 33Poland€1,177
- 34Romania€1,101
- 35Hungary€1,099
- 36Bulgaria€858
- 37Turkey€821
- 38Colombia€757
- 39Mexico€726
How to read these numbers
- All figures are gross: before income tax and employee social security contributions.
- The OECD average wage is the mean annual wage of full-time equivalent employees; we divide it by 12. It is a mean, which high earners pull up, rather than a median.
- Euro figures use Eurostat's average exchange rate for each year, so the gap also moves with the exchange rate.
- Bulgarian lev figures use the fixed euro conversion rate of 1.95583.
- Purchasing power figures are OECD wages in US dollars at purchasing power parity and constant 2025 prices. They compare living standards; they are not cash dollars.