Number of stock investors in South Korea jumps over 50% in 2021

Data from the Korea Securities Depository showed that the number of stock investors in South Korea jumped more than 50% on-year in 2021 to breach the 100 million mark on the back of a retail investment boom. According to the industry data, a total of 13.84 million investors held shares in 2,426 companies listed on Korea's main and secondary bourses, a 50.6% rise from a year earlier. The data further showed that those investors owned shares in an average 5.96 companies, up 13.7% from a year earlier. The country has KOSPI, for sizable firms across all industries, and KOSDAQ, the stock market mainly for technology businesses.