Water purifier brand competitiveness index in South Korea 2024

Based on the National Brand Competitiveness Index (NBCI), Coway was the highest-ranking water purifier brand in South Korea in 2024, with an index score of 78 on a scale from 0 to 100. The NBCI is an indicator on the competitiveness of certain brands, based on brand awareness, image, and marketing activities. 

Coway

In a survey in 2019, most customers stated to prefer water purifiers by Coway to those by other brands. Woongjon Coway Co., Ltd was founded 1989 in South Korea and manufactures home appliances, like water purifiers, air purifiers, bathroom appliances, and more. The company grew to be one of the biggest water treatment companies in South Korea. At the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in 2019, the company’s CIROO 2.0 filter system for direct water purification received the CES 2019 Innovation Award in the home appliances category.

Water quality concerns

In a survey in 2019, around 57.8 percent of individuals living with at least one more person owned a water purifier. Although the World Health Organization ranked South Korean tap water as one of the best tap waters worldwide, the population does not trust the tap water and therefore buy bottled water or water purifiers. In March 2018, around 66 percent of respondents consumed bottled water within the previous three months. While the government is taking measurements to assure its people of the water’s safety, concerns of tap water pollution were reaffirmed when the tap water of many households in Incheon and Seoul turned red in Summer 2019.