EE · EuropeKR · Asia

Estonia vs South Korea: tax rates compared

Between the two, South Korea's income tax rate (49.5%) tops Estonia's (22%) by 27.5pp. The 200-country average is 28%: Estonia sits below it, South Korea sits above it.

Verified data covers six of the six tracked tax types for both countries; every rate below is cited to its source and dated.

At a glance

0102030405060Income22%49.5%Corporate22%26.4%VAT10%24%Capital Gains0%22%Crypto0%22%Wealth Tax0%
six shared taxes, side by side
Tax EE KRDifference
Income Tax22%49.5%KR +27.5 pplargest gap
Corporate Tax22%26.4%KR +4.4 pp
VAT24%10%EE +14 pp
Capital Gains Tax22%0%EE +22 pp
Crypto Tax22%0%EE +22 pp
Wealth Tax0%0%match

Income Tax

Income Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Estonia22%Source: OECD Tax Database — Top statutory personal income tax rates · as of 2025-01-01
South Korea49.5%Source: OECD Tax Database — Top statutory personal income tax rates · as of 2025-01-01
Difference−27.5 ppSouth Korea higher

Corporate Tax

Corporate Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Estonia22%Source: Tax Foundation — Worldwide Corporate Tax Rates · as of 2025-01-01
South Korea26.4%Source: Tax Foundation — Worldwide Corporate Tax Rates · as of 2025-01-01
Difference−4.4 ppSouth Korea higher

Between the two, South Korea's corporate tax rate (26.4%) tops Estonia's (22%) by 4.4pp. The 201-country average is 22.6%: Estonia sits below it, South Korea sits above it.

VAT

VAT, side by side
CountryRateSource
Estonia24%Source: Estonian Tax and Customs Board (EMTA) — Value added tax · as of 2025-07-01
South Korea10%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Korea, Republic of (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2026-06-04
Difference+14 ppEstonia higher

Between the two, Estonia's VAT rate (24%) tops South Korea's (10%) by 14pp. The 181-country average is 15%: Estonia sits above it, South Korea sits below it. Estonia's figure is dated 2025-07-01 and South Korea's 2026-06-04, so the two rates come from different data vintages.

Capital Gains Tax

Capital Gains Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Estonia22%Source: PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Estonia, Individual - Taxes on personal income · as of 2026-05-29
South Korea0%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Korea, Republic of (Individual, Income determination) · as of 2026-07-02
Difference+22 ppEstonia higher

Between the two, Estonia's capital gains tax rate (22%) tops South Korea's (0%) by 22pp. The 175-country average is 10.3%: Estonia sits above it, South Korea sits below it.

Crypto Tax

Crypto Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Estonia22%Source: Estonian Tax and Customs Board (EMTA) — Crypto-assets · as of 2026-02-15
South Korea0%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Korea, Republic of (Corporate, Income determination — Income from virtual assets) · as of 2026-06-04
Difference+22 ppEstonia higher

Between the two, Estonia's crypto tax rate (22%) tops South Korea's (0%) by 22pp. The 88-country average is 13%: Estonia sits above it, South Korea sits below it.

Wealth Tax

Wealth Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Estonia0%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Net wealth/worth tax rates (quick chart) · as of 2026-05-29
South Korea0%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Korea, Republic of (Individual, Other taxes) · as of 2026-07-02
Difference0 ppdisplayed rates match

There's no gap here — Estonia and South Korea both post a wealth tax rate of 0%. The 193-country average is 0.1%: both sit below it.