Unadjusted gender gap in median earnings in South Korea
South Korea: Unadjusted gender gap in median earnings was 36.7% in 2016. ▼ Falling
Unadjusted gender gap in median earnings in South Korea, 1985–2016
Source: OECD (2017) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for unadjusted gender gap in median earnings in South Korea is 36.7%, measured in 2016.
That represents a change of down 1.3% on the previous year and down 7.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unadjusted gender gap in median earnings in South Korea peaked at 52.8% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 36.3%, in 2012.
That places South Korea 1st out of 29 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 52.8% | 52.8% | 52.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 44.2% | 41.8% | 47.3% | 8 |
| 2000s | 39.8% | 38.2% | 41.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.1% | 36.3% | 39.6% | 7 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More work & labour data for South Korea
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 64.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 72.0% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 78.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 56.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 71.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 77.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 64.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unadjusted gender gap in median earnings in South Korea?
- Unadjusted gender gap in median earnings in South Korea was 36.7% in 2016, according to OECD (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unadjusted gender gap in median earnings recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 52.8% in 1985.
- What is the lowest unadjusted gender gap in median earnings recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 36.3% in 2012.
- How does South Korea rank for unadjusted gender gap in median earnings?
- South Korea ranks 1st out of 29 countries with data for 2016.
- Is unadjusted gender gap in median earnings rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2017) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Unadjusted gender gap in median earnings. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The gender wage gap is unadjusted and is defined as the difference between median earnings of men and women relative to median earnings of men. Estimates refer to full-time employees and to self-employed workers.