Employers, male (% of male employment) in North Korea
North Korea: Employers, male (% of male employment) was 8.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employers, male (% of male employment) in North Korea, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employers, male (% of male employment) in North Korea stood at 8.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 4.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employers, male (% of male employment) in North Korea peaked at 8.6% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 7.9%, in 2020.
North Korea ranks 23rd of 187 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employers, male (% of male employment) in North Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 8.6% | — |
| 1992 | 8.6% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 8.6% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 8.6% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 8.5% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 8.5% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 8.5% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 8.5% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 8.5% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 8.5% | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 8.5% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 8.5% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 8.5% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 8.4% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 8.4% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 8.4% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 8.4% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 8.4% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 8.4% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 8.4% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 8.4% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 8.4% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 8.3% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 8.3% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 8.3% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 8.3% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 8.3% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 8.3% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 8.3% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 7.9% | -4.9% |
| 2021 | 8.0% | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 8.0% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 8.0% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 8.0% | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 8.0% | -0.1% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 8.0% is above the median for low income countries, which is 2.7%, 2.9× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 8.0% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.6%, 2.2× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.5% | 8.5% | 8.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 8.4% | 8.4% | 8.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.3% | 8.3% | 8.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.0% | 7.9% | 8.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More work & labour data for North Korea
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 82.13 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 17,790 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 3,871 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 3.56 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 0.3313 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 0.555 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 3,086 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.2604 % change on previous year (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 79.21 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 931.04 (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employers, male (% of male employment) in North Korea?
- Employers, male (% of male employment) in North Korea was 8.0% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employers, male (% of male employment) recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 8.6% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employers, male (% of male employment) recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.9% in 2020.
- How does North Korea rank for employers, male (% of male employment)?
- North Korea ranks 23rd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employers, male (% of male employment) rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employers, male (% of male 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).