Employment-to-population ratio (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+) in South Korea
South Korea: Employment-to-population ratio (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+) was 63.11 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Employment-to-population ratio (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in South Korea, 2014–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 63.11 for employment-to-population ratio (current ilo definition - icls19) in 2025. That is the highest value across all 12 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment-to-population ratio (current ilo definition - icls19) in South Korea peaked at 63.11 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 60.34, in 2020.
That places South Korea 11th out of 71 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
Employment-to-population ratio (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 60.97 | — |
| 2015 | 60.94 | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 60.89 | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 61.16 | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 60.94 | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 61.19 | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 60.34 | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 60.78 | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 62.37 | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 62.87 | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 62.97 | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 63.11 | +0.2% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 63.11 is above the median for high income countries, which is 59.15, 1.1× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 63.11 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 63.11, 1.0× the median. (9 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 61.01 | 60.89 | 61.19 | 6 |
| 2020s | 62.07 | 60.34 | 63.11 | 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 (current ilo definition - icls19) in South Korea?
- Employment-to-population ratio (current ilo definition - icls19) in South Korea was 63.11 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest employment-to-population ratio (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 63.11 in 2025.
- What is the lowest employment-to-population ratio (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 60.34 in 2020.
- How does South Korea rank for employment-to-population ratio (current ilo definition - icls19)?
- South Korea ranks 11th out of 71 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment-to-population ratio (current ilo definition - icls19) rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Employment-to-population ratio (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series includes only countries for which the 19th ICLS definitions are applied. The employment-to-population ratio is the number of persons who are employed as a percent of the total of working-age population. Persons in employment are defined as all those of working age who, during a short reference period, were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit. They comprise employed persons who worked in a job for at least one hour and employed persons not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangements. For more information, refer to the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database description.