Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24 … female national in South Korea
South Korea: Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24 … female national was 28.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) in South Korea, 1960–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
South Korea recorded 28.6% for labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) in 2025.
The figure is down 6.0% on the previous year and down 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) in South Korea peaked at 51.2% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 27.3%, in 2009.
That places South Korea 116th out of 174 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 50 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24 … female national in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 27.9% | — |
| 1966 | 33.3% | +19.3% |
| 1970 | 41.9% | +25.8% |
| 1975 | 51.2% | +22.2% |
| 1980 | 43.9% | -14.4% |
| 1981 | 41.3% | -5.9% |
| 1982 | 41.9% | +1.4% |
| 1983 | 41.3% | -1.5% |
| 1984 | 37.9% | -8.1% |
| 1985 | 38.0% | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 38.9% | +2.4% |
| 1987 | 39.7% | +2.2% |
| 1988 | 39.0% | -1.8% |
| 1989 | 39.6% | +1.5% |
| 1990 | 40.7% | +2.8% |
| 1991 | 42.5% | +4.2% |
| 1992 | 42.3% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 42.1% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 41.8% | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 41.9% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 40.6% | -3.0% |
| 1997 | 39.7% | -2.1% |
| 1998 | 36.1% | -9.1% |
| 1999 | 35.9% | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 35.3% | -1.6% |
| 2001 | 37.0% | +4.9% |
| 2002 | 37.6% | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 37.6% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 38.1% | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 36.8% | -3.6% |
| 2006 | 33.8% | -8.1% |
| 2007 | 30.5% | -9.7% |
| 2008 | 28.8% | -5.6% |
| 2009 | 27.3% | -5.3% |
| 2010 | 27.9% | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 27.8% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 28.7% | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 28.9% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 30.1% | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 31.9% | +5.9% |
| 2016 | 32.0% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 31.6% | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 31.6% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 30.7% | -2.8% |
| 2020 | 29.3% | -4.5% |
| 2021 | 31.4% | +7.1% |
| 2022 | 32.7% | +4.1% |
| 2023 | 31.4% | -3.9% |
| 2024 | 30.5% | -3.2% |
| 2025 | 28.6% | -6.0% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 28.6% is below the median for high income countries, which is 36.2%, 79% of the median. (70 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 28.6% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 35.3%, 81% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24 … female national in South Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | +25.8% | 33.3% | 41.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 30.6% | 27.9% | 33.3% | 2 |
| 1970s | 46.6% | 41.9% | 51.2% | 2 |
| 1980s | 40.2% | 37.9% | 43.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 40.4% | 35.9% | 42.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 34.3% | 27.3% | 38.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.1% | 27.8% | 32.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.7% | 28.6% | 32.7% | 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 labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) in South Korea?
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) in South Korea was 28.6% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 51.2% in 1975.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.3% in 2009.
- How does South Korea rank for labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%)?
- South Korea ranks 116th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South 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 for ages 15-24, female (%) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24 is the proportion of the population ages 15-24 that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.