Average hourly earnings of employees in Republic of Korea

Republic of Korea: Average hourly earnings of employees was 24,931 in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
24,931
Change on year
up 13.5%
World rank
2nd
of 73 countries
All-time high
24,931
in 2022
All-time low
14,463
in 2009
Years of data
14
2009–2022

Average hourly earnings of employees in Republic of Korea, 2009–2022

05.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k25.0k2009201520222009: 14.5k2010: 15.1k2011: 16.0k2012: 17.1k2013: 18.5k2014: 19.1k2015: 18.1k2016: 18.8k2017: 19.5k2018: 21.9k2019: 23.1k2020: 21.5k2021: 22.0k2022: 24.9k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

Republic of Korea recorded 24,931 for average hourly earnings of employees in 2022. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.

That represents a change of up 13.5% on the previous year and up 46.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, average hourly earnings of employees in Republic of Korea peaked at 24,931 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 14,463, in 2009.

That places Republic of Korea 2nd out of 73 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.

Average hourly earnings of employees in Republic of Korea, year by year

Annual values for Average hourly earnings of employees (Local currency) in Republic of Korea, 2009 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2009 14,463
2010 15,088 +4.3%
2011 15,954 +5.7%
2012 17,074 +7.0%
2013 18,459 +8.1%
2014 19,108 +3.5%
2015 18,142 -5.1%
2016 18,786 +3.5%
2017 19,512 +3.9%
2018 21,922 +12.4%
2019 23,069 +5.2%
2020 21,468 -6.9%
2021 21,957 +2.3%
2022 24,931 +13.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 14,463 14,463 14,463 1
2010s 18,711 15,088 23,069 10
2020s 22,785 21,468 24,931 3

Countries ranked near Republic of Korea

  1. 1 Viet Nam 44,856 compare
  2. 3 Paraguay 19,712 compare
  3. 4 Indonesia 16,330 compare
  4. 5 Colombia 10,795 compare

See the full ranking of 73 places →

More work & labour data for Republic of Korea

All data for Republic of Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is average hourly earnings of employees in Republic of Korea?
Average hourly earnings of employees in Republic of Korea was 24,931 in 2022, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest average hourly earnings of employees recorded in Republic of Korea?
The highest recorded value was 24,931 in 2022.
What is the lowest average hourly earnings of employees recorded in Republic of Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 14,463 in 2009.
How does Republic of Korea rank for average hourly earnings of employees?
Republic of Korea ranks 2nd out of 73 countries with data for 2022.
Is average hourly earnings of employees rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 46.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Republic of Korea data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Average hourly earnings of employees (Local currency). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Average hourly earnings of employees in Republic of Korea. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/average-hourly-earnings-of-employees-local-currency/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Average hourly earnings of employees (Local currency)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
73 places, 1,197 data points, 1969–2026
Last refreshed

With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. The earnings of employees relate to the gross remuneration in cash and in kind paid to employees, as a rule at regular intervals, for time worked or work done together with remuneration for time not worked, such as annual vacation, other type of paid leave or holidays. Earnings exclude employers' contributions in respect of their employees paid to social security and pension schemes and also the benefits received by employees under these schemes. Earnings also exclude severance and termination pay. Data are converted to U.S. dollars as the common currency, using exchange rates or using purchasing power parity (PPP) rates for private consumption expenditures. The latter series allows for international comparisons by taking account of the differences in relative prices between countries. For more information, refer to the Wages and Working Time Statistics (COND) database description.