Employment to population ratio, 15+, female (%) (national estimate) in South Korea
South Korea: Employment to population ratio, 15+, female (%) (national estimate) was 55.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment to population ratio, 15+, female (%) in South Korea, 1980–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employment to population ratio, 15+, female (%) in South Korea stood at 55.7%. That is the highest value across all 46 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 10.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment to population ratio, 15+, female (%) in South Korea peaked at 55.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 39.8%, in 1984.
South Korea ranks 57th of 174 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.
Employment to population ratio, 15+, female (%) (national estimate) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 41.3% | — |
| 1981 | 41.3% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 42.3% | +2.5% |
| 1983 | 41.9% | -1.1% |
| 1984 | 39.8% | -5.0% |
| 1985 | 40.9% | +2.9% |
| 1986 | 42.2% | +3.1% |
| 1987 | 44.1% | +4.6% |
| 1988 | 44.2% | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 45.7% | +3.3% |
| 1990 | 46.1% | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 46.2% | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 46.1% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 46.0% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 46.9% | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 47.6% | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 48.1% | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 48.6% | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 44.4% | -8.7% |
| 1999 | 45.2% | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 47.8% | +5.7% |
| 2001 | 48.5% | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 49.2% | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 48.0% | -2.4% |
| 2004 | 49.2% | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 49.2% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 49.7% | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 49.7% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 49.4% | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 48.5% | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 48.6% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 48.9% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 49.2% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 49.5% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 50.4% | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 50.6% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 50.8% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 51.3% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 51.3% | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 51.9% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 51.1% | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 51.7% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 53.4% | +3.3% |
| 2023 | 54.5% | +2.2% |
| 2024 | 55.2% | +1.2% |
| 2025 | 55.7% | +1.0% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 55.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 53.4%, 1.0× the median. (72 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 55.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 50.9%, 1.1× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 42.4% | 39.8% | 45.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 46.5% | 44.4% | 48.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 48.9% | 47.8% | 49.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 50.3% | 48.6% | 51.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 53.6% | 51.1% | 55.7% | 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 to population ratio, 15+, female (%) in South Korea?
- Employment to population ratio, 15+, female (%) in South Korea was 55.7% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment to population ratio, 15+, female (%) recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 55.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest employment to population ratio, 15+, female (%) recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 39.8% in 1984.
- How does South Korea rank for employment to population ratio, 15+, female (%)?
- South Korea ranks 57th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment to population ratio, 15+, female (%) rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment to population ratio, 15+, female (%) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Employment to population ratio is the proportion of a country's population that is employed.