Employment in industry (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in North Korea
North Korea: Employment in industry (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) was 22.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in industry (% of total employment) in North Korea, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employment in industry (% of total employment) in North Korea stood at 22.4%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 8.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in industry (% of total employment) in North Korea peaked at 30.9% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 22.4%, in 2025.
North Korea ranks 63rd of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in industry (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in North Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 30.9% | — |
| 1992 | 29.9% | -3.1% |
| 1993 | 29.2% | -2.5% |
| 1994 | 28.6% | -2.1% |
| 1995 | 27.9% | -2.3% |
| 1996 | 27.3% | -2.2% |
| 1997 | 26.4% | -3.3% |
| 1998 | 26.0% | -1.5% |
| 1999 | 26.3% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 26.2% | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 26.3% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 26.2% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 26.2% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 26.2% | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 26.4% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 26.1% | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 25.8% | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 25.8% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 25.5% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 25.3% | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 25.1% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 25.0% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 24.9% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 24.8% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 24.5% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 24.6% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 24.1% | -2.3% |
| 2018 | 23.5% | -2.5% |
| 2019 | 23.4% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 23.1% | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 22.7% | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 22.5% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 22.7% | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 22.5% | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 22.4% | -0.5% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 22.4% is above the median for low income countries, which is 9.9%, 2.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 22.4% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 19.9%, 1.1× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 28.1% | 26.0% | 30.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 26.1% | 25.5% | 26.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.5% | 23.4% | 25.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.6% | 22.4% | 23.1% | 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 (% of total employment) in North Korea?
- Employment in industry (% of total employment) in North Korea was 22.4% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in industry (% of total employment) recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 30.9% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employment in industry (% of total employment) recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.4% in 2025.
- How does North Korea rank for employment in industry (% of total employment)?
- North Korea ranks 63rd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in industry (% of total employment) rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.6%. 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 (% of total 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).