Statistics Korea

Overview

Survey Name

• Household Income and Expenditure Survey

Survey Type

• Surveyed Statistics

Type of Statistics

• Designated Statistics (Approval No. 101006)

Purpose

• To understand the status of household income and expenditures, and provide data required for measuring and analyzing changes in income and expenditures
  • Providing basic data to be used for the weighting of the Consumer Price Index
  • Providing basic data required for measuring household income, understanding income trends and creating policies
  • Providing basic data required for producing economic and social statistics such as national income estimates
  • Providing criteria for calculating housing relocation costs, creating welfare policies for vulnerable groups and setting wage and salary levels

Frequency

• Monthly

Target Population

• General households of one or more members residing in Dong/Eup/Myeon nationwide

Survey Unit and Target Population Size

• 7,200 households (monthly)

Survey Reference Period and Date

• Reference date: first of each month
• Reference period: first to last day of each month

History

• 1963: Surveyed 30 cities (1,700 households) for 5 expenditure items (food, housing, light and heat, clothing, and miscellaneous expenses)
• 1969: Applied multi-purpose sample survey (target population: 1,800 households)
• 1975: Adopted self-administered method for all expenditure items (previously, only food expense was surveyed through self-administration while the rest were surveyed through interview on a quarterly basis.)
• 1982: Restructured 5 expenditure items to 9 expenditure items (food, housing, light and heat, furniture, clothing, healthcare, education/culture/leisure, transportation, and other expenses)
• 2003: The urban household survey expanded to the nationwide household survey.
• 2005: Introduced the multi-purpose correlation sample method
• 2006: Conducted the survey on single-person households; introduced the electronic housekeeping book system
• 2009: Changed the classification of consumption expenditure items into the classification based on COICOP
• 2014: Partially consolidated items (to 426 items)
• 2017:The Household Income and Expenditure Survey was divided into two parts; income and expenditure.
  • (Expenditure survey) Dedicated sample of 12,000 households including agricultural, forestry and fishery households, annual statistics
  • (Income survey) Existing multi-purpose sample of 5,500 households, quarterly statistics
• 2019: The income survey and expenditure survey were integrated into the Household Income and Expenditure Survey (based on a dedicated sample of 7,200 households per month, including agricultural, forestry and fishery households)
  • The quarterly income survey and annual expenditure survey were integrated into a 6-6-6 rotating sample system*.
    *Households selected for the sample participate in the survey for six consecutive months and then join again for another six months after a half-year break.

Data Collection Method

• Items related to household status: Interview by surveyors
• Items related to household income and expenditure: Self-administered questionnaires (through paper or electronic household ledgers)
  • Paper household ledgers: Households in the sample write their income and expenditure on a paper household ledger. Then a survey conductor reviews and enters the answers.
  • Electronic housekeeping ledgers: Households access online via PC or mobile devices to fill in the electronic housekeeping books.

Survey System

• Sample household → Surveyor → Regional Offices of Statistics → KOSTAT

Data Provision

Method of Publication and URL

• Press releases, data uploading on KOSTAT website (https://kostat.go.kr), KOSIS (https://kosis.kr)

Publication Frequency

• Income: Quarterly
• Expenditure: Annual, Quarterly