Korea performs well in some measures of well-being in the Better Life Index. Korea ranks above the average in civic engagement, education and skills, personal security, jobs and earnings, but below average in income and wealth, subjective well-being, environmental quality, health status, social connections, and work-life balance.
Money, while it cannot buy happiness, is an important means to achieving higher living standards. In Korea, the average household net-adjusted disposable income per capita is USD 19 510 a year, less than the OECD average of USD 25 908 a year. But there is a considerable gap between the richest and poorest – the top 20% of the population earn nearly six times as much as the bottom 20%.