Employment in services (% of total employment) in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of: Employment in services (% of total employment) was 23.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment in services (% of total employment) in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of recorded 23.5% for employment in services (% of total employment) in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 4.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in services (% of total employment) in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of peaked at 23.7% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 16.6%, in 1991.
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of ranks 181st of 187 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in services (% of total employment) in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 16.6% | — |
| 1992 | 16.6% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 16.8% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 16.9% | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 17.1% | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 17.2% | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 17.3% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 17.5% | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 17.8% | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 18.1% | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 18.4% | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 18.7% | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 19.0% | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 19.3% | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 19.6% | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 19.9% | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 20.1% | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 20.5% | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 20.7% | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 21.0% | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 21.3% | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 21.6% | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 22.0% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 22.3% | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 22.6% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 23.0% | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 23.2% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 23.4% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 23.7% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 22.4% | -5.4% |
| 2021 | 22.2% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 22.5% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 22.9% | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 23.2% | +1.5% |
| 2025 | 23.5% | +1.4% |
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of compared with similar countries
- Korea, Democratic People's Republic of's 23.5% is below the median for low income countries, which is 31.6%, 75% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Korea, Democratic People's Republic of's 23.5% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 55.3%, 43% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 17.1% | 16.6% | 17.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 19.4% | 18.1% | 20.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.4% | 21.0% | 23.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.8% | 22.2% | 23.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
- 178 Malawi 27.7% compare
- 179 Tanzania, United Republic of 27.3% compare
- 180 Lao People's Democratic Republic 24.0% compare
- 182 Madagascar 20.9% compare
- 183 Mozambique 20.6% compare
- 184 Central African Republic 20.5% compare
More work & labour data for Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
- 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 services (% of total employment) in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- Employment in services (% of total employment) in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of was 23.5% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in services (% of total employment) recorded in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- The highest recorded value was 23.7% in 2019.
- What is the lowest employment in services (% of total employment) recorded in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.6% in 1991.
- How does Korea, Democratic People's Republic of rank for employment in services (% of total employment)?
- Korea, Democratic People's Republic of ranks 181st out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in services (% of total employment) rising or falling in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.1%. 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 ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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 services sector consists of wholesale and retail trade and restaurants and hotels; transport, storage, and communications; financing, insurance, real estate, and business services; and community, social, and personal services, in accordance with divisions 6-9 (ISIC 2) or categories G-Q (ISIC 3) or categories G-U (ISIC 4).