Employers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in North Korea
North Korea: Employers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) was 5.3% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Employers, total (% of total employment) in North Korea, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for employers, total (% of total employment) in North Korea is 5.3%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employers, total (% of total employment) in North Korea peaked at 5.4% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 5.2%, in 2020.
That places North Korea 35th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
Employers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in North Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 5.4% | — |
| 1992 | 5.3% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 5.3% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 5.3% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 5.3% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 5.3% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 5.3% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 5.3% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 5.3% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 5.3% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 5.3% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 5.3% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 5.3% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 5.3% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 5.3% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 5.3% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 5.3% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 5.3% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 5.3% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 5.3% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 5.3% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 5.3% | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 5.3% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 5.3% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 5.3% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 5.3% | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 5.3% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 5.3% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 5.3% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 5.2% | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 5.3% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 5.3% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 5.3% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 5.3% | -0.0% |
| 2025 | 5.3% | -0.0% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 5.3% is above the median for low income countries, which is 2.8%, 1.9× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 5.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.2%, 1.7× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.3% | 5.3% | 5.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 5.3% | 5.3% | 5.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.3% | 5.3% | 5.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.3% | 5.2% | 5.3% | 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, total (% of total employment) in North Korea?
- Employers, total (% of total employment) in North Korea was 5.3% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employers, total (% of total employment) recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 5.4% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employers, total (% of total employment) recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.2% in 2020.
- How does North Korea rank for employers, total (% of total employment)?
- North Korea ranks 35th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- 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, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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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).