The combined annual income of single-person media creators, such as YouTubers, reached over 1 trillion won (US$753 million) in 2022, according to data released Friday.
A total of 39,366 individuals reported their annual income as single-person media creators in 2022, with the total amount reaching 1.14 trillion won, according to the data from the National Tax Service submitted to Rep. Yang Kyung-sook of the main opposition Democratic Party.
The figure marks a significant increase from 87.5 billion won in 2019, 452.1 billion won in 2020, and 858.9 billion won in 2021.
The data also revealed a sharp increase in the number of such creators, from 2,776 people in 2019 to 20,756 in 2020 and 34,219 in 2021.
Among them, the combined annual income of 393 individuals, considered to be in the top 1 percent, amounted to 333.3 billion won, representing 29.2 percent of the total income in 2022, according to the data.
Their average annual income for the year was at 848 million won, sharply up from 671 million won repo
rted in 2019.
“The combined income sharply increased due to an increased number of YouTubers,” Yang said, noting that a very small number of YouTubers reap huge profits due to the heightened competition.
A single-person media creator refers to individuals who produce video content in an internet-based media environment, such as YouTube and online broadcasts, and generate revenue based on their content.
Source: Yonhap News Agency