KR · AsiaAE · Asia

South Korea vs United Arab Emirates: tax rates compared

South Korea has an income tax rate of 49.5%, 49.5pp above United Arab Emirates's 0%. The 200-country average is 28%: South Korea sits above it, United Arab Emirates sits below it. South Korea's figure is dated 2025-01-01 and United Arab Emirates's 2026-03-12, so the two rates come from different data vintages.

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

0102030405060Income0%49.5%Corporate9%26.4%VAT5%10%Capital Gains0%Crypto0%Wealth Tax0%
six shared taxes, side by side
Tax KR AEDifference
Income Tax49.5%0%KR +49.5 pplargest gap
Corporate Tax26.4%9%KR +17.4 pp
VAT10%5%KR +5 pp
Capital Gains Tax0%0%match
Crypto Tax0%0%match
Wealth Tax0%0%match

Income Tax

Income Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
South Korea49.5%Source: OECD Tax Database — Top statutory personal income tax rates · as of 2025-01-01
United Arab Emirates0%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — United Arab Emirates (Individual, Taxes on personal income) · as of 2026-03-12
Difference+49.5 ppSouth Korea higher

Corporate Tax

Corporate Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
South Korea26.4%Source: Tax Foundation — Worldwide Corporate Tax Rates · as of 2025-01-01
United Arab Emirates9%Source: Tax Foundation — Worldwide Corporate Tax Rates · as of 2025-01-01
Difference+17.4 ppSouth Korea higher

South Korea has a corporate tax rate of 26.4%, 17.4pp above United Arab Emirates's 9%. The 201-country average is 22.6%: South Korea sits above it, United Arab Emirates sits below it.

VAT

VAT, side by side
CountryRateSource
South Korea10%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Korea, Republic of (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2026-06-04
United Arab Emirates5%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — United Arab Emirates (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2026-03-12
Difference+5 ppSouth Korea higher

South Korea has a VAT rate of 10%, 5pp above United Arab Emirates's 5%. The 181-country average is 15%: both sit below it.

Capital Gains Tax

Capital Gains Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
South Korea0%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Korea, Republic of (Individual, Income determination) · as of 2026-07-02
United Arab Emirates0%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — United Arab Emirates (Individual, Income determination) · as of 2026-03-12
Difference0 ppdisplayed rates match

South Korea and United Arab Emirates share the same capital gains tax rate: 0%. The 175-country average is 10.3%: both sit below it.

Crypto Tax

Crypto Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
South Korea0%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Korea, Republic of (Corporate, Income determination — Income from virtual assets) · as of 2026-06-04
United Arab Emirates0%Source: PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries — United Arab Emirates (Individual, Income determination) · as of 2026-03-12
Difference0 ppdisplayed rates match

South Korea and United Arab Emirates share the same crypto tax rate: 0%. The 88-country average is 13%: both sit below it.

Wealth Tax

Wealth Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
South Korea0%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Korea, Republic of (Individual, Other taxes) · as of 2026-07-02
United Arab Emirates0%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — United Arab Emirates (Individual, Other taxes) · as of 2026-03-12
Difference0 ppdisplayed rates match

South Korea and United Arab Emirates share the same wealth tax rate: 0%. The 193-country average is 0.1%: both sit below it.