Last year was a remarkable year for individual investors in South Korea, with their stock investment performance far surpassing that of their overseas counterparts. According to a recent report by Mirae Asset Securities, the average return on domestic stock investments by individual investors reached a staggering 46.6%, more than doubling the average return of 21 percent recorded by overseas investors during the same period.
This impressive result can be attributed to the strong performance of large-cap information technology (IT) and semiconductor stocks, which benefited from the artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor cycle. In the domestic stock market, these sectors showed remarkable stability and growth, leading to significant profits for individual investors.
In terms of revenue, the profits earned by individual investors of Mirae Asset Securities from domestic stock investments amounted to 47.8 trillion won, while the profits from overseas stock investments totaled 7.9 trillion won. Even considering that there are nearly four times as many domestic stock investors, the profit gap is considerable.
The total earnings of individual investors, combined with domestic and foreign stocks, reached 55.7 trillion won. Mirae Asset Securities’ AI-based asset management solution service is also believed to have contributed to the performance of individual investors.
## A Year of Exceptional Returns
The report by Mirae Asset Securities highlights the exceptional returns achieved by individual investors in 2025. The analysis was conducted on 3.78 million local stock investors and 1.01 million overseas stock investors of Mirae Asset Securities.
## Overseas Markets Show Stability
Even in overseas markets, the performance of individual investors was stable, focusing on AI and big tech stocks. Palantir, an AI-based data analysis software company, recorded an investment return of 1.1 trillion won on the back of expanded AI investment.
## Conclusion
In conclusion, 2025 was a remarkable year for individual investors in South Korea, with their stock investment performance far surpassing that of their overseas counterparts. The strong performance of large-cap IT and semiconductor stocks, combined with the stability and growth of AI and big tech stocks, contributed to the exceptional returns achieved by individual investors.
