
South Korea outperformed the United States and Japan in consumer satisfaction in 2024, according to the National Customer Satisfaction Index released by the Korea Productivity Center.
Every year, Korea's NCSI evaluates consumer satisfaction through three key metrics: customer expectations, perceived quality and perceived value. These same standards are used in over 30 countries, enabling global comparisons of performance across industries.
This year, Korea scored 78.0 points on the NCSI, securing the top position for a seventh consecutive year, despite a slight 0.2-point drop from the previous year. The score edged out the American Consumer Satisfaction Index score of 77.9 points and the Japanese Customer Satisfaction Index score of 72.0 points.
Korea’s strong performance was particularly evident in industries such as health care, aviation and IPTV, where it outpaced the US by margins of 1 to 9 points. However, the country lagged behind in online retail, PCs and automotive, scoring 1 to 5 points lower than the US in these categories.
In the home appliance sector, Whirlpool led the ACSI rankings in the US with 83 points, followed closely by LG at 82 and Samsung Electronics at 81. Despite Whirlpool’s dominance, Samsung secured the top spot in the washing machine category, while LG led in clothes dryers.
In the automotive industry, Japan’s Toyota ranked first in the ACSI with 83 points, while Korea’s Kia and Hyundai scored 80 and 78 points, respectively, showcasing steady performance in the US market.
While Korea maintained its lead, the gap with the US narrowed significantly, shrinking from 0.5 points in 2023 to just 0.1 point in 2024. According to the Korea Productivity Center, this trend reflects growing consumer satisfaction with Japanese and Chinese brands in key US sectors such as home appliances and automobiles.
Meanwhile, Korea demonstrated stronger consumer satisfaction than Japan in 16 out of 18 comparable sectors. Energy services marked the largest gap, with Korea leading by 13 points, followed by mobile telecommunications and banking, where Korea outperformed Japan by 12 and 11 points, respectively. However, Japan led in e-commerce and hotel sectors by 1 point each.
Launched in 1998, the NCSI serves as a diagnostic tool and benchmark for companies and policymakers to evaluate the quality and competitiveness of their offerings. While Korea’s performance highlights its ability to meet evolving consumer demands, the narrowing gap with global competitors underscores the need for continued innovation to maintain its edge, the Korea Productivity Center noted.