Japan vs South Korea: Manufacturing jobs as a share of total employment
Japan
15.1%
in 2025
South Korea
15.2%
in 2025
Japan rank
32nd
South Korea rank
31st
Manufacturing jobs as a share of total employment over time
- Japan
- South Korea
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 15.2% against 15.1% in Japan, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 26 shared years of data; in 2000 it was Japan ahead.
Japan ranks 32nd and South Korea ranks 31st of 152 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 1 and South Korea in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 18.9% | 18.1% | 0.8% | Japan |
| 2010s | 16.1% | 16.9% | 0.8% | South Korea |
| 2020s | 14.9% | 15.7% | 0.8% | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher manufacturing jobs as a share of total employment, Japan or South Korea?
- South Korea, at 15.2% against 15.1% in Japan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in manufacturing jobs as a share of total employment between Japan and South Korea?
- 0.1%, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Korea?
- 26 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2025.
- How do Japan and South Korea rank globally for manufacturing jobs as a share of total employment?
- Japan ranks 32nd and South Korea ranks 31st of 152 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- United Nations Industrial Development Organization – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Manufacturing jobs as a share of total employment. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Manufacturing employment as a proportion of total employment - 13th ICLS (%).