Poverty and living standards in Busan, South Korea: official figures
256,393 people in Busan in 194,722 households were eligible for the basic livelihood security programme (customised benefits) in December 2025, or 79.4 for every 1,000 registered residents (South Korea: 55.4). Eligible means entitled to benefits, whether or not they were paid out. Busan ranks 8th highest share eligible of 36 South Korean cities covered on this site.
How many people in Busan get housing benefit?
In December 2025 149,401 people in Busan were eligible for medical aid and 247,946 for housing benefit, or 46.3 and 76.8 for every 1,000 registered residents (South Korea: 30.2 and 52.1). Busan ranks 6th highest share eligible for housing benefit of 36 South Korean cities covered on this site.
Source: Korea Social Security Information Service · saved copyHow many older people in Busan receive the basic pension?
575,310 people in Busan were eligible for the basic pension for older people in December 2025, equal to 67.8% of residents aged 65 or over (South Korea: 62.2%). Busan ranks 12th highest share of older people eligible of 36 South Korean cities covered on this site.
Source: Korea Social Security Information Service · saved copyHow many people with disabilities in Busan get the disability pension?
24,865 people in Busan were eligible for the disability pension in December 2025, or 7.7 for every 1,000 registered residents (South Korea: 6.8). Busan ranks 18th lowest share eligible for the disability pension of 36 South Korean cities covered on this site.
Source: Korea Social Security Information Service · saved copyHow many low-income people in Busan are just above the benefit line?
In December 2025 the near-poor groups just above the benefit line in Busan included 9,063 people with disabilities, 26,368 people with reduced medical co-payments and 430 in self-sufficiency programmes: 11.1 for every 1,000 registered residents across the three groups (South Korea: 8.8). Busan ranks 14th highest near-poor share of 36 South Korean cities covered on this site.
Source: Korea Social Security Information Service · saved copyHow many children in Busan get school cost support for low-income families?
22,445 people in Busan were eligible for the basic livelihood education benefit (school costs for low-income families) in December 2025, or 59.8 for every 1,000 residents under 18 (South Korea: 47.1). Busan ranks 17th lowest share eligible of 36 South Korean cities covered on this site.
Source: Korea Social Security Information Service · saved copyHow Busan compares with other cities in South Korea
Basic livelihood programme: eligible people per 1,000 residents (Dec 2025)
Busan ranks 8 of 36, highest first.
| Rank | City | Basic livelihood programme: eligible people per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Yeongju | 85.4 |
| 6 | Gunsan | 82.0 |
| 7 | Andong | 80.1 |
| 8 | Busan | 79.4 |
| 9 | Gwangju | 76.0 |
| 10 | Miryang | 75.6 |
| 11 | Daegu | 73.0 |
Housing benefit: eligible people per 1,000 residents (Dec 2025)
Busan ranks 6 of 36, highest first.
| Rank | City | Housing benefit: eligible people per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Jeongeup | 82.4 |
| 4 | Nonsan | 79.0 |
| 5 | Gunsan | 77.6 |
| 6 | Busan | 76.8 |
| 7 | Yeongju | 75.3 |
| 8 | Andong | 74.8 |
| 9 | Gwangju | 73.5 |
Basic pension: eligible people as a share of residents aged 65+ (Dec 2025)
Busan ranks 12 of 36, highest first.
| Rank | City | Basic pension: eligible people as a share of residents aged 65+ |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Iksan | 69.6% |
| 10 | Gongju | 68.3% |
| 11 | Yangsan | 68.2% |
| 12 | Busan | 67.8% |
| 13 | Miryang | 67.8% |
| 14 | Seosan | 67.4% |
| 15 | Gyeongju | 67.4% |
Disability pension: eligible people per 1,000 residents (Dec 2025)
Busan ranks 19 of 36, highest first.
| Rank | City | Disability pension: eligible people per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Seosan | 7.9 |
| 17 | Seogwipo | 7.8 |
| 18 | Gwangju | 7.8 |
| 19 | Busan | 7.7 |
| 20 | Daegu | 7.6 |
| 21 | Daejeon | 7.3 |
| 22 | Jeju | 7.3 |
Near-poor groups (three programmes) per 1,000 residents (Dec 2025)
Busan ranks 14 of 36, highest first.
| Rank | City | Near-poor groups (three programmes) per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Seogwipo | 12.0 |
| 12 | Daegu | 11.9 |
| 13 | Gwangju | 11.2 |
| 14 | Busan | 11.1 |
| 15 | Yangsan | 10.7 |
| 16 | Nonsan | 10.4 |
| 17 | Jeju | 10.3 |
More on Busan: overview · health · all cities in South Korea
Sources
- Korea Social Security Information Service: People eligible for welfare programmes by city, county and district, December 2025 (open file on the Public Data Portal), read 30 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 157ececacb6e…)
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