Female labor force participation rates in South Korea
South Korea: Female labor force participation rates was 56.78 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
56.78
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
66th
of 186 countries
All-time high
56.83
in 2024
All-time low
47.12
in 1998
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Female labor force participation rates in South Korea, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, female labor force participation rates in South Korea stood at 56.78.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 8.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female labor force participation rates in South Korea peaked at 56.83 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 47.12, in 1998.
That places South Korea 66th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Female labor force participation rates in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 47.21 | — |
| 1991 | 47.22 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 47.2 | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 47.16 | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 47.91 | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 48.45 | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 48.95 | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 49.83 | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 47.12 | -5.4% |
| 1999 | 47.67 | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 49.35 | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 50 | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 50.37 | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 49.48 | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 50.64 | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 50.66 | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 50.83 | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 50.65 | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 50.35 | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 49.58 | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 49.77 | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 49.99 | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 50.29 | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 50.8 | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 51.84 | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 52.39 | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 52.57 | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 53.07 | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 53.22 | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 53.77 | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 53.14 | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 53.65 | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 55.03 | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 56.04 | +1.8% |
| 2024 | 56.83 | +1.4% |
| 2025 | 56.78 | -0.1% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 56.78 is above the median for high income countries, which is 55.09, 1.0× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 56.78 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 55.91, 1.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 47.87 | 47.12 | 49.83 | 10 |
| 2000s | 50.19 | 49.35 | 50.83 | 10 |
| 2010s | 51.77 | 49.77 | 53.77 | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.24 | 53.14 | 56.83 | 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 female labor force participation rates in South Korea?
- Female labor force participation rates in South Korea was 56.78 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest female labor force participation rates recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 56.83 in 2024.
- What is the lowest female labor force participation rates recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 47.12 in 1998.
- How does South Korea rank for female labor force participation rates?
- South Korea ranks 66th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is female labor force participation rates rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.4%. 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 Female labor force participation rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).