Japan vs Korea: Unemployment, male (% of male labor force)
Japan
2.7%
in 2025
Korea
2.8%
in 2025
Japan rank
143rd
Korea rank
140th
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) over time
- Japan
- Korea
How they compare
Korea currently reports 2.8% against 2.7% in Japan, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 50 shared years of data; in 1975 it was Korea ahead.
Japan ranks 143rd and Korea ranks 140th of 181 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 2 and Korea in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.2% | 4.6% | 2.4% | Korea |
| 1980s | 2.5% | 4.7% | 2.2% | Korea |
| 1990s | 3.0% | 3.6% | 0.6% | Korea |
| 2000s | 4.9% | 3.8% | 1.1% | Japan |
| 2010s | 3.8% | 3.5% | 0.3% | Japan |
| 2020s | 2.8% | 3.1% | 0.2% | Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher unemployment, male (% of male labor force), Japan or Korea?
- Korea, at 2.8% against 2.7% in Japan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in unemployment, male (% of male labor force) between Japan and Korea?
- 0.1%, with Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and Korea?
- 50 years are reported by both, from 1975 to 2025.
- How do Japan and Korea rank globally for unemployment, male (% of male labor force)?
- Japan ranks 143rd and Korea ranks 140th of 181 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.