Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) in Korea
Korea: Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) was 57.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) in Korea, 1960–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) in Korea stood at 57.3%. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and up 9.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) in Korea peaked at 57.3% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 27.9%, in 1960.
Korea ranks 76th of 196 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) in Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 27.9% | — |
| 1966 | 31.4% | +12.5% |
| 1970 | 38.4% | +22.1% |
| 1975 | 46.7% | +21.7% |
| 1979 | 28.9% | -38.1% |
| 1980 | 39.5% | +36.6% |
| 1990 | 32.6% | -17.5% |
| 2000 | 49.4% | +51.6% |
| 2001 | 50.0% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 50.4% | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 49.5% | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 50.7% | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 50.8% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 51.0% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 50.9% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 50.6% | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 49.8% | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 50.0% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 50.2% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 50.5% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 50.9% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 51.9% | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 52.4% | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 52.7% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 53.2% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 53.3% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 53.9% | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 53.2% | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 53.7% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 55.0% | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 56.1% | +1.9% |
| 2024 | 56.8% | +1.3% |
| 2025 | 57.3% | +0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 29.7% | 27.9% | 31.4% | 2 |
| 1970s | 38.0% | 28.9% | 46.7% | 3 |
| 1980s | 39.5% | 39.5% | 39.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 32.6% | 32.6% | 32.6% | 1 |
| 2000s | 50.3% | 49.4% | 51.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 51.9% | 50.0% | 53.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.4% | 53.2% | 57.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Korea
More work & labour data for 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 labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) in Korea?
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) in Korea was 57.3% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) recorded in Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 57.3% in 2025.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) recorded in Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.9% in 1960.
- How does Korea rank for labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages)?
- Korea ranks 76th out of 196 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) rising or falling in Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Labor force participation rate is the proportion of the population ages 15 and older that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.