Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in South Korea
South Korea: Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) was 71.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment in services (% of total employment) in South Korea, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment in services (% of total employment) in South Korea is 71.5%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.5% on the previous year and up 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in services (% of total employment) in South Korea peaked at 71.5% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 47.4%, in 1991.
That places South Korea 54th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 47.4% | — |
| 1992 | 49.7% | +5.0% |
| 1993 | 52.0% | +4.6% |
| 1994 | 53.3% | +2.5% |
| 1995 | 54.3% | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 55.7% | +2.6% |
| 1997 | 57.3% | +2.8% |
| 1998 | 59.6% | +3.9% |
| 1999 | 60.7% | +1.9% |
| 2000 | 60.5% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 61.7% | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 62.5% | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 62.8% | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 64.2% | +2.1% |
| 2005 | 65.1% | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 65.9% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 66.6% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 67.2% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 68.2% | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 68.1% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 68.4% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 68.9% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 68.8% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 69.0% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 69.5% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 70.0% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 69.9% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 69.8% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 70.3% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 70.0% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 70.0% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 70.1% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 70.7% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 71.1% | +0.7% |
| 2025 | 71.5% | +0.5% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 71.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 74.5%, 96% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 71.5% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 55.3%, 1.3× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 54.5% | 47.4% | 60.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 64.5% | 60.5% | 68.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 69.3% | 68.1% | 70.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 70.6% | 70.0% | 71.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More work & labour data for South Korea
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 16,840 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 63.91 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 29,824 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 2.96 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 0.78 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 97,052 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 65,686 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 62.02 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 0.9719 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate -0.1065 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in services (% of total employment) in South Korea?
- Employment in services (% of total employment) in South Korea was 71.5% 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 South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 71.5% in 2025.
- What is the lowest employment in services (% of total employment) recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 47.4% in 1991.
- How does South Korea rank for employment in services (% of total employment)?
- South Korea ranks 54th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in services (% of total employment) rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea 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.
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 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).