Japan vs Republic of Korea: Unemployment rate
Japan
2.53
in 2031
Republic of Korea
2.8
in 2031
Japan rank
20th
Republic of Korea rank
18th
Unemployment rate over time
- Japan
- Republic of Korea
How they compare
Republic of Korea currently reports 2.8 against 2.53 in Japan, a difference of 0.27.
That makes Republic of Korea's figure about 1.1 times Japan's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 52 shared years of data; in 1980 it was Republic of Korea ahead.
Japan ranks 20th and Republic of Korea ranks 18th of 22 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 2 and Republic of Korea in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | Republic of Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.5 | 3.79 | 1.29 | Republic of Korea |
| 1990s | 3.04 | 3.31 | 0.2667 | Republic of Korea |
| 2000s | 4.65 | 3.62 | 1.04 | Japan |
| 2010s | 3.56 | 3.55 | 0.015 | Japan |
| 2020s | 2.6 | 3.01 | 0.4138 | Republic of Korea |
| 2030s | 2.53 | 2.8 | 0.2667 | Republic of Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher unemployment rate, Japan or Republic of Korea?
- Republic of Korea, at 2.8 against 2.53 in Japan as of 2031.
- What is the difference in unemployment rate between Japan and Republic of Korea?
- 0.27, with Republic of Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and Republic of Korea?
- 52 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2031.
- How do Japan and Republic of Korea rank globally for unemployment rate?
- Japan ranks 20th and Republic of Korea ranks 18th of 22 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Monetary Fund, published as Unemployment rate (9/26/2025). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The World Economic Outlook (WEO) database is created during the biannual WEO exercise, which begins in January and June of each year and results in the April and September/October WEO publication. Selected series from the publication are available in a database format.