South Korea profile
Asia · 12 indices with data
A summary of where South Korea stands across our published indices — every score normalised 0–100, with its global rank.
South Korea (Asia) has data on 12/14 PI indices. Strongest relative position: Passport Index™ — #2/198 (96.4/100). Passport rank #2/198. Global Citizenship Score 78.4/100 (#23/199).
Tier 1 · Core
Tier 2 · Premium
Tier 3 · Signature
Entering South Korea
Of 197 passports with data, 22 are visa-free, 0 get a visa on arrival, 88 use an eTA, 0 need an e-Visa and 87 need a consular visa.
South Korea passport can reach 204 destinations without applying for a consular visa in advance.
Immigration authority: Ministry of Justice / Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea (K-ETA / HiKorea) · Last checked: 29 Sep 2026
Regional position and data sources
Comparison with countries and territories in the same region that have data for each index. Regional rank uses descending scores; ties share a rank. Asia.
| Indices | Score (0–100) | Regional median | Regional rank | Data date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passport Index™ | 96.4 | 21.9 | #2 / 51 | 2026-09-29 | An in-house bilateral visa matrix, taken from each destination government's own source. PI Passport v0.1 (gov-sourced) |
| Quality of Life Index™ | 82.3 | 65.7 | #5 / 50 | 2026-09-14 | UNDP Human Development Report + UN SDG Global Database + World Bank WGI (CC-BY). The Health, Safety and Education pillars take their scores directly from the Healthcare, Global Safety and Education indices. 2026-09-14 |
| Cost of Living Index™ | 65.5 | 77.8 | #39 / 49 | 2026-08-28 | World Bank ICP household price level (PA.NUS.PRVT.PLI) + WDI PPP income + CPI inflation (CC-BY). Numbeo is NOT used: its licence bars republication and it is not available for commercial use. 2026-08-28 |
| Education Index™ | 87.8 | 65.9 | #2 / 48 | 2026-09-14 | World Bank WDI + Human Capital Index (CC-BY). Note: the heaviest pillar, harmonised learning outcomes (HD.HCI.HLOS, 28%), rests on 2020 data — the World Bank has not updated the Human Capital Index since 21 Sep 2020. 2026-09-14 |
| Global Safety Index™ | 88.7 | 69.0 | #7 / 50 | 2026-09-14 | UNODC + World Bank WGI + WHO + UCDP (CC-BY). 2026-09-14 |
| Healthcare Index™ | 78.0 | 56.0 | #2 / 47 | 2026-08-28 | World Bank WDI (life expectancy, infant and maternal mortality, skilled birth attendance, health workforce, spending, out-of-pocket share) + UN SDG Global Database indicator 3.8.1 for the UHC service coverage index. The UHC figures originate with the WHO but are taken through the UN SDG channel: the WHO GHO release is CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO, which bars commercial use. 2026-08-28 |
| Tax Freedom Index™ | 41.2 | 79.1 | #43 / 44 | 2026-09-14 | OECD Tax Database + national tax authorities (tax-rate table compiled by PI). 2026-09-14 |
| Wealth Protection Index™ | 77.6 | 53.6 | #7 / 50 | 2026-09-14 | World Bank WGI + CPI inflation + banking soundness (NPL, capital adequacy) — CC-BY. 2026-09-14 |
| Family Relocation Score™ | 82.5 | 62.5 | #4 / 49 | 2026-09-29 | Composite of PI component index scores. 2026-09-29 |
| Global Citizenship Score™ | 78.4 | 54.5 | #7 / 49 | 2026-09-29 | Composite of PI component index scores. 2026-09-29 |
| Investment Migration ROI™ | 77.0 | 46.0 | #2 / 13 | 2026-09-29 | Investment programme table (government sources) + the PI Passport Index. 2026-09-29 |
| Retirement Destination Index™ | 73.1 | 68.0 | #16 / 49 | 2026-09-29 | Composite of PI component index scores. 2026-09-29 |
Passport strength components
- Visa-free
- 167 destinations
- Visa on arrival
- 27 destinations
- eTA
- 10 destinations
- e-Visa
- 30 destinations
e-Visa is shown for comparison but does not contribute to passport strength.
Citizenship and residence programmes in the dataset
Only records marked active/new in the data snapshot are shown; this does not confirm that a policy remains in force today. USD amounts are reference conversions, not total costs or quotes. Check the government source before using them.
| Programme | Type | Status in the dataset | Minimum converted capital (USD) | Source checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D-8 Corporate Investment (D-8-1) & D-8-4 Tech Startup | BIZ | active | 72,000 | 2026-08-26 |
| Workation Visa (F-1-D) | NOMAD | active | — | 2026-06-25 |
| Tourism & Leisure Facility (Real Estate) Investment Immigration - F-2 / F-5 | RBI | active | 720,000 | 2026-08-26 |
| Startup Visa D-8-4 (OASIS) | STARTUP | active | — | 2026-06-25 |
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