Employers, female (% of female employment) in Korea
Korea: Employers, female (% of female employment) was 3.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employers, female (% of female employment) in Korea, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employers, female (% of female employment) in Korea stood at 3.2%.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and down 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employers, female (% of female employment) in Korea peaked at 3.7% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 2.8%, in 1991.
That places Korea 36th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Employers, female (% of female employment) in Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 2.8% | — |
| 1992 | 2.8% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 2.8% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 2.9% | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 2.9% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 2.9% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 2.9% | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 2.9% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 3.0% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 3.0% | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 3.3% | +10.0% |
| 2002 | 3.3% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 3.3% | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 3.5% | +5.7% |
| 2005 | 3.5% | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 3.5% | -2.3% |
| 2007 | 3.6% | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 3.6% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 3.6% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 3.3% | -6.5% |
| 2011 | 3.3% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 3.4% | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 3.5% | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 3.4% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 3.5% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 3.4% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 3.6% | +5.1% |
| 2018 | 3.7% | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 3.5% | -6.1% |
| 2020 | 3.2% | -9.1% |
| 2021 | 2.9% | -7.6% |
| 2022 | 3.2% | +9.1% |
| 2023 | 3.2% | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 3.2% | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 3.2% | +0.2% |
Korea compared with similar countries
- Korea's 3.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.1%, 1.5× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Korea's 3.2% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.2%, 1.5× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.9% | 2.8% | 3.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.4% | 3.0% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.5% | 3.3% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.1% | 2.9% | 3.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Korea
More work & labour data for Korea
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 16,840 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 63.91 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 29,824 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 2.96 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 0.78 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 97,052 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 65,686 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 62.02 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 0.9719 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate -0.1065 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employers, female (% of female employment) in Korea?
- Employers, female (% of female employment) in Korea was 3.2% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employers, female (% of female employment) recorded in Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 3.7% in 2018.
- What is the lowest employers, female (% of female employment) recorded in Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.8% in 1991.
- How does Korea rank for employers, female (% of female employment)?
- Korea ranks 36th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employers, female (% of female employment) rising or falling in Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Korea data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employers, female (% of female employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Employers are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or a few partners, hold the type of jobs defined as a "self-employment jobs" i.e. jobs where the remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits derived from the goods and services produced), and, in this capacity, have engaged, on a continuous basis, one or more persons to work for them as employee(s).