South Korea Inflation Rate (CPI YoY %) - Historical Data
Year-on-year percentage change in the headline Consumer Price Index (CPI) for South Korea from 1966 to 2026, compiled from the BIS Long Consumer Prices archive (WS_LONG_CPI). The latest inflation rate is 2.79% (Jul 2026) compared with the Bank of Korea official target of 2.0% CPI Target.
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Current Statistics & Historical Records
Latest Reading (Jul 2026)
2.79%
Prev (Jun 2026): 3.16%-0.37 pp
Highest Recorded (Oct 1980)
32.51%
Peak consumer price inflation rate in South Korea (Bank of Korea mandate: 2.0% CPI Target).
Lowest Recorded (Sep 2019)
-0.43%
Lowest recorded CPI inflation / deflation reading in South Korea.
Long-Run Mean (1966–2026)
6.66%
61 annual observations · Monthly
Bank of Korea · KRW
South Korea Inflation Rate (CPI YoY %) (1966-2026)
% YoYDrag to pan, scroll to zoom, or toggle between full archive (1966–2026) and recent monthly observations.
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Source: Bank for International Settlements (BIS) & National Statistical Office (WS_LONG_CPI:M:KR:771)
Latest: 2.79% (Jul 2026)
South Korea Inflation Rate Averages by Decade
Decadal mean, peak, and trough across the 1966–2026 archive
| Decade | Years Covered | Decade Mean | Decade High (Year) | Decade Low (Year) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1966–1969 | 11.33% | 12.36% (1969) | 10.79% (1968) |
| 1970s | 1970–1979 | 15.24% | 25.16% (1975) | 3.27% (1973) |
| 1980s | 1980–1989 | 8.43% | 28.60% (1980) | 2.27% (1984) |
| 1990s | 1990–1999 | 5.74% | 9.34% (1991) | 0.81% (1999) |
| 2000s | 2000–2009 | 3.12% | 4.67% (2008) | 2.24% (2006) |
| 2010s | 2010–2019 | 1.72% | 4.03% (2011) | 0.38% (2019) |
| 2020s | 2020–2026 | 2.68% | 5.09% (2022) | 0.54% (2020) |
Complete Annual Historical Ledger (1966–2026)
Unit: % YoY · Source: Bank for International Settlements (BIS) & National Statistical Office (WS_LONG_CPI:M:KR:771)
| Year | Annual Value (% YoY) | Intra-Year Range (Min – Max) | Monetary Regime & Historical Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2.55% | 2.00% – 3.16% | - |
| 2025 | 2.12% | 1.67% – 2.45% | Post-tightening monetary recalibration across advanced and emerging central banks |
| 2024 | 2.33% | 1.25% – 3.13% | G10 policy rates peak and pivot toward gradual monetary normalization |
| 2023 | 3.61% | 2.35% – 4.98% | - |
| 2022 | 5.09% | 3.77% – 6.33% | Global inflation surge triggers fastest synchronized rate hiking cycle in four decades |
| 2021 | 2.50% | 0.95% – 3.78% | - |
| 2020 | 0.54% | -0.21% – 1.22% | COVID-19 pandemic emergency rate cuts and record balance sheet expansion |
| 2019 | 0.38% | -0.43% – 0.79% | - |
| 2018 | 1.48% | 0.76% – 2.09% | - |
| 2017 | 1.95% | 1.15% – 2.49% | - |
| 2016 | 0.97% | 0.37% – 1.53% | Bank of Japan introduces Yield Curve Control (YCC); post-Brexit BoE easing |
| 2015 | 0.71% | 0.44% – 1.13% | - |
| 2014 | 1.28% | 0.83% – 1.67% | ECB and European peers introduce Negative Interest Rate Policy (NIRP) |
| 2013 | 1.30% | 0.86% – 1.63% | - |
| 2012 | 2.19% | 1.27% – 3.35% | - |
| 2011 | 4.03% | 3.44% – 4.69% | European Sovereign Debt Crisis and Swiss franc safe-haven surge |
| 2010 | 2.94% | 2.46% – 3.68% | - |
| 2009 | 2.77% | 1.62% – 4.10% | - |
| 2008 | 4.67% | 3.58% – 5.90% | Global Financial Crisis drives major central banks to the zero lower bound and QE1 |
| 2007 | 2.53% | 1.68% – 3.61% | - |
| 2006 | 2.24% | 2.00% – 2.69% | - |
| 2005 | 2.76% | 1.97% – 3.40% | - |
| 2004 | 3.59% | 3.04% – 4.79% | - |
| 2003 | 3.52% | 2.98% – 4.52% | - |
| 2002 | 2.76% | 2.11% – 3.73% | - |
| 2001 | 4.07% | 3.16% – 5.26% | Dot-com bust and synchronized G10 monetary easing cycle |
| 2000 | 2.26% | 1.10% – 3.52% | - |
| 1999 | 0.81% | 0.17% – 1.46% | Launch of the Euro and establishment of the European Central Bank (ECB) |
| 1998 | 7.53% | 3.97% – 9.55% | - |
| 1997 | 4.44% | 3.70% – 6.57% | Asian Financial Crisis triggers emergency EM currency defense hikes |
| 1996 | 4.92% | 4.44% – 5.40% | - |
| 1995 | 4.48% | 3.43% – 5.22% | - |
| 1994 | 6.27% | 5.57% – 7.35% | Global bond market selloff and pre-emptive Federal Reserve tightening cycle |
| 1993 | 4.80% | 4.28% – 5.80% | - |
| 1992 | 6.23% | 4.38% – 7.72% | European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) crisis and Black Wednesday |
| 1991 | 9.34% | 8.51% – 10.13% | - |
| 1990 | 8.57% | 7.32% – 9.36% | German reunification tightening and Japanese asset bubble peak |
| 1989 | 5.70% | 4.62% – 6.78% | - |
| 1988 | 7.15% | 6.11% – 8.48% | - |
| 1987 | 3.05% | 0.49% – 6.05% | Louvre Accord and Black Monday central bank liquidity provision |
| 1986 | 2.76% | 0.98% – 3.67% | - |
| 1985 | 2.46% | 1.47% – 3.40% | Plaza Accord coordinated G5 currency intervention depreciates USD |
| 1984 | 2.27% | 1.71% – 3.19% | - |
| 1983 | 3.43% | 1.96% – 5.34% | - |
| 1982 | 7.32% | 3.94% – 12.41% | - |
| 1981 | 21.57% | 13.70% – 28.76% | Volcker disinflation peak pushes benchmark policy rates to postwar highs |
| 1980 | 28.60% | 25.40% – 32.51% | - |
| 1979 | 18.28% | 14.09% – 21.80% | Second oil shock; Paul Volcker appointed Federal Reserve Chair |
| 1978 | 14.42% | 12.60% – 17.01% | - |
| 1977 | 10.10% | 9.21% – 11.08% | - |
| 1976 | 15.67% | 8.75% – 23.04% | - |
| 1975 | 25.16% | 19.11% – 30.53% | - |
| 1974 | 24.24% | 12.77% – 29.24% | First OPEC oil shock triggers global stagflation and steep policy rate hikes |
| 1973 | 3.27% | 0.31% – 8.49% | - |
| 1972 | 11.68% | 7.91% – 14.66% | - |
| 1971 | 13.56% | 9.08% – 15.86% | Nixon Shock suspends USD gold convertibility; Bretton Woods system ends |
| 1970 | 16.01% | 13.02% – 20.01% | - |
| 1969 | 12.36% | 10.44% – 16.29% | - |
| 1968 | 10.79% | 8.54% – 13.24% | - |
| 1967 | 10.94% | 8.22% – 13.23% | - |
| 1966 | 11.22% | 7.42% – 16.52% | Credit crunch of 1966 and monetary tightening |
Frequently Asked Questions - South Korea Inflation Rate
What is the current inflation rate in South Korea?
As of Jul 2026, headline consumer price inflation in South Korea is 2.79% year-on-year, compared to the Bank of Korea target of 2.0% CPI Target.
What was the highest inflation rate recorded in South Korea?
In the 1966-2026 series, South Korea CPI inflation peaked at 32.51% in Oct 1980 and reached a low of -0.43% in Sep 2019.
Statistical Provenance
Source Metadata & Methodology Notes
- Primary Institution:
- Bank for International Settlements (BIS) & National Statistical Office
- Dataset / Dataflow:
- BIS Long Series on Consumer Prices (WS_LONG_CPI)
- Canonical Series ID:
- WS_LONG_CPI:M:KR:771
- Reuse & License:
- Terms of permitted use of BIS statistics
- Unit of measure: Year-on-year percentage change in headline consumer price index (UNIT_MEASURE=771).
- Central bank benchmark target: 2.0% CPI Target (Bank of Korea).
- Annual table values represent annual average inflation across each calendar year.
Academic & Media Attribution
Cite This Dataset (APA & BibTeX)
APA 7th Edition
CentralBankData.com. (2026). South Korea Inflation Rate (CPI YoY %), compiled from Bank for International Settlements (WS_LONG_CPI:M:KR:771). https://centralbankdata.com/south-korea-inflation-rate
BibTeX
@misc{cbd_cpi_south_korea,
author = {CentralBankData.com},
title = {South Korea Consumer Price Inflation Rate},
note = {Compiled from Bank for International Settlements WS_LONG_CPI:M:KR:771},
year = {2026},
url = {https://centralbankdata.com/south-korea-inflation-rate}
}Related Bank of Korea & Global Series
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