Employment to population ratio in South Korea
South Korea: Employment to population ratio was 62.62 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
62.62
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
54th
of 186 countries
All-time high
62.67
in 2024
All-time low
56.02
in 1998
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Employment to population ratio in South Korea, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment to population ratio in South Korea is 62.62, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 3.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment to population ratio in South Korea peaked at 62.67 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 56.02, in 1998.
South Korea ranks 54th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Employment to population ratio in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 58.66 | — |
| 1992 | 58.88 | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 58.67 | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 59.62 | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 60.19 | +1.0% |
| 1996 | 60.41 | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 60.4 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 56.02 | -7.3% |
| 1999 | 56.36 | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 58.28 | +3.4% |
| 2001 | 58.85 | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 59.74 | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 59.07 | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 59.7 | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 59.41 | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 59.46 | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 59.47 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 59.01 | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 58.2 | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 58.33 | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 58.82 | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 59.22 | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 59.52 | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 60.36 | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 60.36 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 60.34 | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 60.61 | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 60.36 | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 60.63 | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 59.83 | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 60.27 | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 61.97 | +2.8% |
| 2023 | 62.55 | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 62.67 | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 62.62 | -0.1% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 62.62 is above the median for high income countries, which is 58.89, 1.1× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 62.62 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 61.89, 1.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 58.8 | 56.02 | 60.41 | 9 |
| 2000s | 59.12 | 58.2 | 59.74 | 10 |
| 2010s | 59.85 | 58.33 | 60.63 | 10 |
| 2020s | 61.65 | 59.83 | 62.67 | 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 in South Korea?
- Employment to population ratio in South Korea was 62.62 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment to population ratio recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 62.67 in 2024.
- What is the lowest employment to population ratio recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.02 in 1998.
- How does South Korea rank for employment to population ratio?
- South Korea ranks 54th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment to population ratio rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Employment to population ratio. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).