Gender wage gap in South Korea
South Korea: Gender wage gap was 29.29 in 2022. ▼ Falling
Gender wage gap in South Korea, 2009–2022
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2022, gender wage gap in South Korea stood at 29.29. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 10.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender wage gap in South Korea peaked at 35.09 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 29.29, in 2022.
That places South Korea 5th out of 67 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Gender wage gap in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 35.09 | — |
| 2010 | 34.27 | -2.3% |
| 2011 | 33.58 | -2.0% |
| 2012 | 32.69 | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 32.94 | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 33.8 | +2.6% |
| 2015 | 34.67 | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 33.59 | -3.1% |
| 2017 | 33.07 | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 31.47 | -4.8% |
| 2019 | 29.99 | -4.7% |
| 2020 | 29.55 | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 29.38 | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 29.29 | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 35.09 | 35.09 | 35.09 | 1 |
| 2010s | 33.01 | 29.99 | 34.67 | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.41 | 29.29 | 29.55 | 3 |
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)
- 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)
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (2023)
- Criminal penalties or civil remedies sexual harassment in employment 1 (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 64.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender wage gap in South Korea?
- Gender wage gap in South Korea was 29.29 in 2022, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest gender wage gap recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 35.09 in 2009.
- What is the lowest gender wage gap recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.29 in 2022.
- How does South Korea rank for gender wage gap?
- South Korea ranks 5th out of 67 countries with data for 2022.
- Is gender wage gap rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Gender wage gap. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
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. The gender wage gap is unadjusted and is calculated as the difference between average earnings of men and average earnings of women expressed as a percentage of average earnings of men. This indicator provides a measure of the relative difference between the earnings of men and those of women. Data disaggregated by occupation are provided according to the latest version of the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO). Data may have been regrouped from the national classifications, which may not be strictly compatible with ISCO. For more information, refer to the Wages and Working Time Statistics (COND) database description.