GDP per employed person in South Korea
South Korea: GDP per employed person was 99,046 constant 2021 PPP $ in 2025. ▲ Rising
GDP per employed person in South Korea, 1991–2025
Source: World Bank, International Labour Organization (ILO), UN Population Division, Eurostat, and OECD (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in constant 2021 PPP $.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 99,046 constant 2021 PPP $ for gdp per employed person in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 15.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gdp per employed person in South Korea peaked at 99,046 constant 2021 PPP $ in 2025 and was at its lowest, 35,978 constant 2021 PPP $, in 1991.
South Korea ranks 36th of 177 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
GDP per employed person in South Korea, year by year
| Year | constant 2021 PPP $ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 35,978 constant 2021 PPP $ | — |
| 1992 | 37,462 constant 2021 PPP $ | +4.1% |
| 1993 | 39,566 constant 2021 PPP $ | +5.6% |
| 1994 | 41,892 constant 2021 PPP $ | +5.9% |
| 1995 | 44,737 constant 2021 PPP $ | +6.8% |
| 1996 | 47,316 constant 2021 PPP $ | +5.8% |
| 1997 | 49,478 constant 2021 PPP $ | +4.6% |
| 1998 | 50,064 constant 2021 PPP $ | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 54,910 constant 2021 PPP $ | +9.7% |
| 2000 | 57,330 constant 2021 PPP $ | +4.4% |
| 2001 | 58,844 constant 2021 PPP $ | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 61,871 constant 2021 PPP $ | +5.1% |
| 2003 | 63,892 constant 2021 PPP $ | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 65,896 constant 2021 PPP $ | +3.1% |
| 2005 | 68,541 constant 2021 PPP $ | +4.0% |
| 2006 | 71,216 constant 2021 PPP $ | +3.9% |
| 2007 | 74,452 constant 2021 PPP $ | +4.5% |
| 2008 | 76,144 constant 2021 PPP $ | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 76,906 constant 2021 PPP $ | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 81,146 constant 2021 PPP $ | +5.5% |
| 2011 | 82,207 constant 2021 PPP $ | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 82,709 constant 2021 PPP $ | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 84,090 constant 2021 PPP $ | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 84,590 constant 2021 PPP $ | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 86,160 constant 2021 PPP $ | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 88,154 constant 2021 PPP $ | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 90,164 constant 2021 PPP $ | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 92,693 constant 2021 PPP $ | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 93,750 constant 2021 PPP $ | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 93,906 constant 2021 PPP $ | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 97,285 constant 2021 PPP $ | +3.6% |
| 2022 | 96,960 constant 2021 PPP $ | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 97,027 constant 2021 PPP $ | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 98,259 constant 2021 PPP $ | +1.3% |
| 2025 | 99,046 constant 2021 PPP $ | +0.8% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 99,046 constant 2021 PPP $ is below the median for high income countries, which is 108,203 constant 2021 PPP $, 92% of the median. (59 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 99,046 constant 2021 PPP $ is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 35,266 constant 2021 PPP $, 2.8× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 44,600 constant 2021 PPP $ | 35,978 constant 2021 PPP $ | 54,910 constant 2021 PPP $ | 9 |
| 2000s | 67,509 constant 2021 PPP $ | 57,330 constant 2021 PPP $ | 76,906 constant 2021 PPP $ | 10 |
| 2010s | 86,566 constant 2021 PPP $ | 81,146 constant 2021 PPP $ | 93,750 constant 2021 PPP $ | 10 |
| 2020s | 97,080 constant 2021 PPP $ | 93,906 constant 2021 PPP $ | 99,046 constant 2021 PPP $ | 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 gdp per employed person in South Korea?
- Gdp per employed person in South Korea was 99,046 constant 2021 PPP $ in 2025, according to World Bank, International Labour Organization (ILO), UN Population Division, Eurostat, and OECD (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gdp per employed person recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 99,046 constant 2021 PPP $ in 2025.
- What is the lowest gdp per employed person recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 35,978 constant 2021 PPP $ in 1991.
- How does South Korea rank for gdp per employed person?
- South Korea ranks 36th out of 177 countries with data for 2025.
- Is gdp per employed person rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank, International Labour Organization (ILO), UN Population Division, Eurostat, and OECD (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of GDP per employed person. 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).
About this data
Gross domestic product (GDP) divided by the total number of people employed in the economy. This data is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.