South Korean Single-Household Workers Shift Assets to Stocks and ETFs, Savings Drop to 28.3% on July 19

According to KB Financial Group's 2026 report on single-household finances released on July 19, single-person households in South Korea are rapidly shifting financial assets from savings accounts to stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The share of savings and time deposits in their financial portfolios fell to 28.3% in 2026 from 36.2% in 2024, while domestic and international stocks and ETFs rose to 21.1% from 15.0% over the same period.

The report also noted a rising trend of leveraged investing, with 34% of single-household borrowers having investment experience using loan funds—up 5.2 percentage points from two years ago. The average leveraged investment amount was approximately 30 million won, with men comprising 42.4% of such investors compared to 21.7% for women, according to the survey of 2,000 economically active single-person households aged 25-59.