More young Koreans look to stocks, bonds as retirement nest egg

More young Koreans are using stocks, bonds and other financial assets to build retirement savings, driven by worries that the national pension may not be enough. The trend is especially visible among people in their 20s and 30s, who are increasingly using pension savings accounts and IRPs, while the share of older age groups has also risen more slowly. The average monthly national pension benefit was 880,000 won, below the 1.54 million won estimated for basic living expenses for a single-person household.

The latest survey by the Ministry of Data and Statistics found that 12.8 percent of people in their 20s and 13.4 percent of people in their 30s said they used stocks, bonds and other financial assets to prepare for retirement last year.

Those figures were up from 2.6 percent and 2.8 percent, respectively, in 2011, when the survey was first published.

The share of people citing such assets also rose among older groups, from 2.4 percent to 8 percent in their 40s, from 2.4 percent to 6 percent in their 50s, and from 1.4 percent to 3.1 percent among those 60 and older.

The average monthly pension benefit over the past year was 880,000 won, while the estimated amount needed to cover basic living expenses for a single-person household was 1.54 million won.

Among people aged 19 and older, 71 percent cited the national pension as a source of retirement income last year, while 44.1 percent cited bank deposits, savings plans and savings-type insurance.

Published Sep 13, 2026 3:18 pm KST

Updated Sep 13, 2026 5:45 pm KST

A Seoul office worker surnamed Park has been setting aside 1 million won ($744) from her monthly paycheck for retirement since early this year, after friends and colleagues encouraged her to start investing.

She puts the money into two types of retirement accounts — a pension savings account and an Individual Retirement Pension (IRP) — with most of her savings invested in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tracking the S&P 500. She makes her ETF purchases automatically each month rather than trying to time the market based on currency or stock price movements.

“Before, I was just paying into the national pension and my bank savings accounts. But I started to worry that I wasn’t doing enough to build up my assets,” the 32-year-old said.

News that the national pension fund could run out sooner than expected as Korea’s birthrate falls and its population ages only heightened her concerns.

“That was around the time people around me started encouraging me to invest, so I decided to give it a try,” she said. “I’m thinking of this as building my own pension over time. I want to keep accumulating investments that I believe will grow steadily over the long term, rather than be swayed by short-term numbers or sell along the way.”

Park is among a growing number of younger Koreans looking beyond traditional savings and public pensions to build their own retirement nest eggs.

The trend is also reflected in the statistics, with the share of people in their 20s and 30s citing stocks, bonds and other financial assets as a means of preparing for retirement rising about fivefold over the past 14 years.

According to the latest survey by the Ministry of Data and Statistics, 12.8 percent of people in their 20s and 13.4 percent of those in their 30s said they were using such assets to prepare for retirement last year. Both figures rose by more than 10 percentage points from 2.6 percent and 2.8 percent, respectively, in 2011, when the survey was first published.

The share jumped in particular around 2021, when a wave of retail investors poured into the stock markets, and has remained in the double digits since.

Older Koreans have also become more likely to turn to stocks or bonds for retirement, but the shift has been less pronounced. The share rose from 2.4 percent to 8 percent among people in their 40s, from 2.4 percent to 6 percent among those in their 50s, and from 1.4 percent to 3.1 percent among people 60 and older over the same period.

“Younger people have greater access to information and are interested in personal finance and wealth management, so they can easily come across tax-advantaged products such as pension savings accounts and IRPs on social media and act on it,” an official from the financial industry said. “With lifetime employment becoming less certain, they also have a stronger sense that they need to prepare for their own future.”

That growing emphasis on private retirement savings reflects a broader concern over whether the national pension alone will be enough to support Koreans post-retirement. The average monthly pension benefit over the past year was 880,000 won, well below the estimated 1.54 million won needed to cover basic living expenses for a single-person household.

Despite growing interest in financial assets, the national pension and traditional savings products remain the most common forms of retirement preparation among Koreans.

Among those aged 19 and older, 71 percent cited the national pension as a source of retirement income last year, making it the most widely used option. Bank deposits, savings plans and savings-type insurance followed at 44.1 percent.

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由于担心国民养老金可能不足以维持退休生活，越来越多的韩国年轻人开始利用股票、债券和其他金融资产来积累退休储蓄。这一趋势在20至30岁的人群中尤为明显，他们越来越多地使用养老金储蓄账户和个人退休计划（IRP），而老年人群的比例增长速度则较为缓慢。韩国国民养老金的平均月度福利为88万韩元，低于单身家庭基本生活开支约154万韩元的估算值。

韩国数据统计部最新调查发现，去年有12.8%的20多岁人群和13.4%的30多岁人群表示，他们利用股票、债券和其他金融资产为退休做准备。

这些数字分别比 2011 年首次发布该调查时的 2.6% 和 2.8% 有所上升。

在年龄较大的群体中，拥有此类资产的人数比例也有所上升，40 多岁的人群中从 2.4% 上升到 8%，50 多岁的人群中从 2.4% 上升到 6%，60 岁及以上的人群中从 1.4% 上升到 3.1%。

过去一年，平均每月养老金为 88 万韩元，而单身家庭维持基本生活所需的估计金额为 154 万韩元。

在 19 岁及以上的人群中，71% 的人表示去年的退休收入来源是国家养老金，而 44.1% 的人表示退休收入来源是银行存款、储蓄计划和储蓄型保险。

发布于2026年9月13日下午3:18（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年9月13日下午5:45（韩国标准时间）

今年年初，在朋友和同事的鼓励下，首尔一位姓朴的上班族开始每月从工资中拿出100万韩元（约合744美元）用于退休投资。

她将资金存入两种退休账户——养老金储蓄账户和个人退休金账户（IRP）——并将大部分储蓄投资于追踪标普500指数的交易所交易基金（ETF）。她每月自动购买ETF，而不是试图根据货币或股票价格的波动来择时入市。

“以前，我只缴纳国家养老金和存入银行储蓄账户。但我开始担心自己积累资产的努力不够，”这位32岁的男子说道。

韩国出生率下降、人口老龄化，导致国民养老基金可能比预期更早耗尽的消息，加剧了她的担忧。

“大约就在那时，我身边的人开始鼓励我投资，所以我决定试一试，”她说。“我把这看作是逐步积累自己的养老金。我希望持续积累那些我认为能够长期稳步增长的投资，而不是被短期数字所左右，或者中途抛售。”

朴先生是越来越多希望通过传统储蓄和公共养老金之外的方式积累自己退休金的韩国年轻人之一。

这一趋势也反映在统计数据中，过去 14 年里，20 多岁和 30 多岁的人群中，将股票、债券和其他金融资产作为退休准备手段的比例增长了约五倍。

根据韩国数据统计部最新调查，去年有12.8%的20多岁人群和13.4%的30多岁人群表示，他们正在利用此类资产为退休做准备。这两个数字均较2011年首次发布该调查时分别增长了10多个百分点，当时的比例分别为2.6%和2.8%。

该股股价在 2021 年前后大幅上涨，当时大量散户投资者涌入股市，此后一直保持两位数的涨幅。

韩国老年人也越来越倾向于选择股票或债券作为退休投资标的，但这种转变并不那么明显。同期，40多岁人群中，这一比例从2.4%上升到8%；50多岁人群中，这一比例从2.4%上升到6%；60岁及以上人群中，这一比例从1.4%上升到3.1%。

一位金融业人士表示：“年轻人更容易获取信息，也更关注个人理财和财富管理，因此他们很容易在社交媒体上看到养老金储蓄账户和个人退休计划等税收优惠产品，并采取行动。随着终身就业变得越来越不确定，他们也更强烈地意识到需要为自己的未来做好准备。”

人们越来越重视私人退休储蓄，这反映出人们普遍担忧，仅靠国民养老金是否足以支撑韩国人的退休生活。过去一年，韩国人平均每月养老金为88万韩元，远低于单人家庭维持基本生活所需的约154万韩元。

尽管人们对金融资产的兴趣日益浓厚，但国民养老金和传统储蓄产品仍然是韩国人最常见的退休准备方式。

在19岁及以上的人群中，去年有71%的人表示国民养老金是其退休收入来源，使其成为最普遍的选择。银行存款、储蓄计划和储蓄型保险紧随其后，占比44.1%。

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