Annual working hours per worker in South Korea
South Korea: Annual working hours per worker was 1,910 hours per worker in 2023. ▼ Falling
Annual working hours per worker in South Korea, 1953–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hours per worker.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 1,910 hours per worker for annual working hours per worker in 2023.
That represents a change of up 1.6% on the previous year and down 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual working hours per worker in South Korea peaked at 3,040 hours per worker in 1969 and was at its lowest, 1,881 hours per worker, in 2022.
South Korea ranks 73rd of 130 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 71 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2,596 hours per worker | 2,484 hours per worker | 2,709 hours per worker | 7 |
| 1960s | 2,873 hours per worker | 2,749 hours per worker | 3,040 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1970s | 2,893 hours per worker | 2,867 hours per worker | 2,919 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1980s | 2,866 hours per worker | 2,728 hours per worker | 2,908 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1990s | 2,610 hours per worker | 2,485 hours per worker | 2,674 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2000s | 2,366 hours per worker | 2,167 hours per worker | 2,509 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,066 hours per worker | 1,963 hours per worker | 2,153 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,902 hours per worker | 1,881 hours per worker | 1,912 hours per worker | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More work & labour data for South Korea
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 64.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 72.0% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 78.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 56.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 71.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 77.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 64.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual working hours per worker in South Korea?
- Annual working hours per worker in South Korea was 1,910 hours per worker in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual working hours per worker recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 3,040 hours per worker in 1969.
- What is the lowest annual working hours per worker recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,881 hours per worker in 2022.
- How does South Korea rank for annual working hours per worker?
- South Korea ranks 73rd out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual working hours per worker rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual working hours per worker. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Average working hours per worker in a given year.