Employment in industry, female (% of female employment) in North Korea
North Korea: Employment in industry, female (% of female employment) was 20.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in industry, female (% of female employment) in North Korea, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employment in industry, female (% of female employment) in North Korea stood at 20.4%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 13.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in industry, female (% of female employment) in North Korea peaked at 31.3% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 20.4%, in 2025.
That places North Korea 18th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in industry, female (% of female employment) in North Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 31.3% | — |
| 1992 | 30.2% | -3.5% |
| 1993 | 29.4% | -2.6% |
| 1994 | 28.8% | -2.0% |
| 1995 | 28.1% | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 27.4% | -2.4% |
| 1997 | 26.4% | -3.6% |
| 1998 | 26.0% | -1.5% |
| 1999 | 26.3% | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 26.0% | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 26.1% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 26.0% | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 25.9% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 25.8% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 25.9% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 25.6% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 25.2% | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 25.3% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 24.9% | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 24.6% | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 24.4% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 24.3% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 24.1% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 24.0% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 23.6% | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 23.7% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 23.2% | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 22.5% | -2.8% |
| 2019 | 22.3% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 21.8% | -2.5% |
| 2021 | 20.9% | -4.1% |
| 2022 | 20.7% | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 20.8% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 20.6% | -0.8% |
| 2025 | 20.4% | -0.7% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 20.4% is above the median for low income countries, which is 6.7%, 3.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 20.4% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9.9%, 2.1× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 28.2% | 26.0% | 31.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 25.7% | 24.9% | 26.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.7% | 22.3% | 24.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.9% | 20.4% | 21.8% | 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)
- Labour dependency ratio 0.555 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 0.3313 % change on previous year (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 employment in industry, female (% of female employment) in North Korea?
- Employment in industry, female (% of female employment) in North Korea was 20.4% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in industry, female (% of female employment) recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 31.3% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employment in industry, female (% of female employment) recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.4% in 2025.
- How does North Korea rank for employment in industry, female (% of female employment)?
- North Korea ranks 18th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in industry, female (% of female employment) rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.5%. 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 Employment in industry, 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
Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The industry sector consists of mining and quarrying, manufacturing, construction, and public utilities (electricity, gas, and water), in accordance with divisions 2-5 (ISIC 2) or categories C-F (ISIC 3) or categories B-F (ISIC 4).