Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, male … male ages national in South Korea
South Korea: Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, male … male ages national was 19.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, male (%) in South Korea, 1980–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, male (%) in South Korea stood at 19.3%.
That represents a change of down 4.1% on the previous year and down 11.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, male (%) in South Korea peaked at 40.0% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 16.4%, in 2010.
That places South Korea 151st out of 154 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 46 years of available data.
Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, male … male ages national in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 40.0% | — |
| 1981 | 38.2% | -4.5% |
| 1982 | 37.5% | -1.7% |
| 1983 | 33.6% | -10.4% |
| 1984 | 30.8% | -8.3% |
| 1985 | 28.6% | -7.4% |
| 1986 | 27.8% | -2.6% |
| 1987 | 27.7% | -0.6% |
| 1988 | 25.5% | -7.7% |
| 1989 | 25.8% | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 25.7% | -0.4% |
| 1991 | 28.3% | +10.2% |
| 1992 | 28.7% | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 27.1% | -5.7% |
| 1994 | 28.9% | +6.5% |
| 1995 | 28.8% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 28.1% | -2.3% |
| 1997 | 26.5% | -5.8% |
| 1998 | 22.1% | -16.7% |
| 1999 | 23.0% | +4.4% |
| 2000 | 23.0% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 23.4% | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 24.6% | +5.2% |
| 2003 | 23.9% | -2.9% |
| 2004 | 24.3% | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 22.3% | -8.3% |
| 2006 | 20.6% | -7.8% |
| 2007 | 19.4% | -5.6% |
| 2008 | 16.9% | -13.0% |
| 2009 | 16.5% | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 16.4% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 17.5% | +6.9% |
| 2012 | 18.4% | +5.1% |
| 2013 | 19.0% | +3.2% |
| 2014 | 20.8% | +9.3% |
| 2015 | 21.8% | +5.0% |
| 2016 | 21.8% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 21.8% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 20.3% | -7.0% |
| 2019 | 21.7% | +6.9% |
| 2020 | 20.4% | -6.1% |
| 2021 | 21.2% | +4.0% |
| 2022 | 22.9% | +8.2% |
| 2023 | 21.6% | -6.0% |
| 2024 | 20.2% | -6.5% |
| 2025 | 19.3% | -4.1% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 19.3% is below the median for high income countries, which is 36.9%, 52% of the median. (66 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 19.3% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 36.8%, 53% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 31.5% | 25.5% | 40.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 26.7% | 22.1% | 28.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.5% | 16.5% | 24.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.9% | 16.4% | 21.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.9% | 19.3% | 22.9% | 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, ages 15-24, male (%) in South Korea?
- Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, male (%) in South Korea was 19.3% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, male (%) recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 40.0% in 1980.
- What is the lowest employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, male (%) recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.4% in 2010.
- How does South Korea rank for employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, male (%)?
- South Korea ranks 151st out of 154 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, male (%) rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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, ages 15-24, male (%) (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.