Gender wage gap in Korea

Korea: Gender wage gap was 8.87 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile in 2025. β–Ό Falling

Latest (2025)
8.87 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile
Change on year
up 21.8%
Rank
4th
of 9 groups
All-time high
35.09 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile
in 1994
All-time low
6.94 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile
in 2022
Years of data
35
1985–2025

Gender wage gap in Korea, 1985–2025

102030401985200520251985: 34.4 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile1992: 33.8 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile1993: 33.6 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile1994: 35.1 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile1995: 32.7 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile1996: 28.5 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile1997: 29.4 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile1998: 28.7 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile1999: 29.3 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile2000: 26.9 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile2001: 25.3 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile2002: 25.8 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile2003: 22.8 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile2004: 21.9 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile2005: 20.7 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile2006: 19.7 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile2007: 19.1 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile2008: 19 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile2009: 19.9 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile2010: 20.5 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile2011: 16.9 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile2012: 18.7 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile2013: 18.8 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile2014: 20.3 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile2015: 16.1 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile2016: 15.4 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile2017: 10.6 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile2018: 7.6 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile2019: 7.3 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile2020: 7.2 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile2021: 8.5 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile2022: 6.9 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile2023: 7.3 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile2024: 7.3 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile2025: 8.9 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of wages of men in the same decile.

Analysis

In 2025, gender wage gap in Korea stood at 8.87 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 21.8% on the previous year and down 45.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, gender wage gap in Korea peaked at 35.09 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile in 1994 and was at its lowest, 6.94 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile, in 2022.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 34.38 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile 34.38 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile 34.38 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile 1
1990s 31.4 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile 28.5 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile 35.09 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile 8
2000s 22.1 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile 18.97 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile 26.86 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile 10
2010s 15.23 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile 7.34 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile 20.45 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile 10
2020s 7.68 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile 6.94 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile 8.87 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile 6

Countries ranked near Korea

  1. 1 India 44.44 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile compare
  2. 2 Peru 22.26 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile compare
  3. 3 Cyprus 21.96 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile compare
  4. 4 Costa Rica 18 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile compare
  5. 5 Colombia 16 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile compare
  6. 6 Mexico 14.29 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile compare
  7. 7 Austria 13.8 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile compare

See the full ranking of 49 places β†’

More work & labour data for Korea

All data for Korea β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is gender wage gap in Korea?
Gender wage gap in Korea was 8.87 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest gender wage gap recorded in Korea?
The highest recorded value was 35.09 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile in 1994.
What is the lowest gender wage gap recorded in Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 6.94 Percentage of wages of men in the same decile in 2022.
How does Korea rank for gender wage gap?
Korea ranks 4th out of 9 groups with data for 2025.
Is gender wage gap rising or falling in Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 45.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Korea data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Gender wage gap. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Gender wage gap in Korea. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/gender-wage-gap/korea/

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About this data

Indicator
Gender wage gap
Unit
Percentage of wages of men in the same decile
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
49 places, 968 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

This dataset contains gender wage gaps defined as: 1) the unadjusted difference between median wages of men and women relative to the median wages of men, 2) the unadjusted difference between mean wages of men and women relative to the mean wages of men, 3) at the 1st decile and 4) at the 9th decile.