The Consumer Sentiment Index (CCSI), which provides a comprehensive overview of consumer economic sentiment, has dropped significantly this month, falling below 100 for the first time in a year.
According to the “April 2026 Consumer Sentiment Survey Results” released by the Bank of Korea today (the 23rd), the CCSI decreased by 7.8 points from the previous month, standing at 99.2. This is the first time the CCSI has fallen below 100 since April last year.
The CCSI uses 100 as a benchmark; a figure above this indicates consumer optimism about the economy, while a figure below indicates pessimism.
The current living condition index, reflecting the perception of household financial status, fell by 3 points to 91, and the living condition outlook index decreased by 5 points to 92. There was also a perception of reduced consumer capacity, as both the household income outlook index and the consumer expenditure outlook index fell by 3 points each.
The current economic assessment index dropped sharply by 18 points to 68, and the future economic outlook index decreased by 10 points to 79. The employment opportunity outlook index also fell by 7 points, reflecting concerns about the job market.
Conversely, the interest rate outlook index increased by 6 points to 115. The perception of household savings and debt showed relatively stable trends. The current household savings index fell by 1 point to 96, while the household savings outlook index remained unchanged at 100. The current household debt index also remained unchanged at 99, and the household debt outlook index rose by 1 point to 98.
Inflation perceptions remained high. The price level outlook index increased by 4 points to 153, and the housing price outlook index rose by 8 points to 104, reflecting expanded expectations of real estate price increases. The wage level outlook index remained the same as the previous month at 120.
The expected inflation rate for the next year rose by 0.2 percentage points to 2.9%, while the expected inflation rates for three years and five years later were both at 2.6%. Respondents predominantly expected a price increase of 2-3%.
Over the next year, petroleum products (88.8%) were most frequently cited as likely to impact price increases, followed by industrial products (33.1%) and public utilities (31.4%). Notably, the response proportions for industrial products and petroleum products increased by 9.9 and 8.7 percentage points, respectively, from the previous month, while agricultural, livestock, and marine products fell by 5.7 percentage points.