Employment in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of: Employment was 17,070 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, 1991–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, employment in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of stood at 17,070. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of peaked at 17,070 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 12,510, in 1991.
That places Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 38th out of 188 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.
Employment in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 12,510 | — |
| 1992 | 12,724 | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 12,912 | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 13,090 | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 13,267 | +1.3% |
| 1996 | 13,422 | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 13,582 | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 13,706 | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 13,805 | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 13,950 | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 14,077 | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 14,216 | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 14,361 | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 14,530 | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 14,691 | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 14,865 | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 15,033 | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 15,194 | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 15,355 | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 15,523 | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 15,662 | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 15,807 | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 15,949 | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 16,100 | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 16,240 | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 16,346 | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 16,490 | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 16,627 | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 16,712 | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 16,433 | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 16,505 | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 16,909 | +2.4% |
| 2023 | 16,977 | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 17,022 | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 17,070 | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13,224 | 12,510 | 13,805 | 9 |
| 2000s | 14,627 | 13,950 | 15,355 | 10 |
| 2010s | 16,145 | 15,523 | 16,712 | 10 |
| 2020s | 16,819 | 16,433 | 17,070 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
- 35 Peru 18,258 compare
- 36 South Africa 18,073 compare
- 37 Malaysia 18,015 compare
- 39 Saudi Arabia 16,665 compare
- 40 Madagascar 16,572 compare
- 41 Mozambique 14,620 compare
More work & labour data for Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 17,790 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 82.13 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 3,871 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 79.21 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 0.3313 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.2604 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 75.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 87.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 78.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 89.3% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- Employment in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of was 17,070 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest employment recorded in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- The highest recorded value was 17,070 in 2025.
- What is the lowest employment recorded in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- The lowest recorded value was 12,510 in 1991.
- How does Korea, Democratic People's Republic of rank for employment?
- Korea, Democratic People's Republic of ranks 38th out of 188 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment rising or falling in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Korea, Democratic People's Republic of data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Employment (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
Imputed observations are not based on national data, are subject to high uncertainty and should not be used for country comparisons or rankings. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. The employed comprise all persons of working age who, during a specified brief period, were in one of the following categories: a) paid employment (whether at work or with a job but not at work); or b) self-employment (whether at work or with an enterprise but not at work). Data disaggregated by economic activity are provided according to the latest version of the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) available for that year. Data may have been regrouped from national classifications, which may not be strictly compatible with ISIC. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.