34,806 Filers, Rising Incomes Over Four Years
Polarization Emerges, With Strong Performance by Those in Their 30s and 40s
The average annual income of one-person media content creators, such as YouTubers, has increased by more than 25% over the past four years, surpassing 70 million won. However, the top 1% earned close to an average of 1.3 billion won, revealing a clear income gap.
On February 16, Yonhap News reported, citing data titled "Income Status of One-Person Media Creators for the 2020-2024 Tax Years" submitted by the National Tax Service to People Power Party lawmaker Park Sunghoon, a member of the National Assembly Planning and Finance Committee, that 34,806 YouTubers filed global income tax returns in 2024.
The statistics were calculated based on the global income tax filing amounts of business operators who reported their main business category as "one-person media content creator" or "media content creation business."
The number of filers surged from 9,449 in 2020, to the 10,000 range in 2021-2022, the 20,000 range in 2023, and the 30,000 range in 2024. During the same period, average income per person increased by 25.6% from 56.51 million won. Their total income amounted to 2.4714 trillion won, with average income per person at about 71 million won.
Income polarization was pronounced in the distribution. The top 1% by global income amount, or 348 people, earned a total of 450.1 billion won, recording an average of 1.29339 billion won per person. This represents an increase of about 70% compared with the 2020 average of 780.85 million won. The average income of the top 10% (3,480 people) was also 333.02 million won. In contrast, the total income of the bottom 50% (17,404 people) was 428.6 billion won, with average income per person remaining at 24.63 million won.
By age group, those in their 30s and 40s showed remarkable growth. The total income of 15,668 YouTubers in their 30s was 1.2471 trillion won, accounting for about half of the total, with an average of 79.6 million won per person. The highest average income among all age groups was in the 40s, at 86.75 million won. There were 12,096 YouTubers aged 29 or younger, whose average income per person was around 54.35 million won.
Meanwhile, after the declaration of martial law in December 2024, political YouTube channels surged, prompting controversy over overheated competition for profits and whether taxation is being properly enforced.
Lawmaker Park stressed, "Constant oversight and thorough verification are needed to address acts of concealing income generated on YouTube or engaging in tax evasion," adding, "Proactive blocking and stronger oversight are also required for sensational and harmful content."
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