Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male … male national in South Korea
South Korea: Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male … male national was 20.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) in South Korea, 1960–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) in South Korea is 20.5%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 4.8% on the previous year and down 15.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) in South Korea peaked at 50.9% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 18.2%, in 2010.
That places South Korea 174th out of 174 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 50 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male … male national in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 48.1% | — |
| 1966 | 48.9% | +1.8% |
| 1970 | 47.9% | -2.1% |
| 1975 | 50.9% | +6.2% |
| 1980 | 46.4% | -8.8% |
| 1981 | 44.0% | -5.3% |
| 1982 | 43.0% | -2.1% |
| 1983 | 38.3% | -11.0% |
| 1984 | 34.8% | -9.1% |
| 1985 | 33.0% | -5.3% |
| 1986 | 31.7% | -3.7% |
| 1987 | 30.7% | -3.1% |
| 1988 | 28.3% | -8.0% |
| 1989 | 28.3% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 28.4% | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 31.3% | +10.4% |
| 1992 | 31.7% | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 30.8% | -2.9% |
| 1994 | 31.8% | +3.2% |
| 1995 | 31.2% | -1.8% |
| 1996 | 30.6% | -2.0% |
| 1997 | 29.2% | -4.5% |
| 1998 | 27.8% | -5.0% |
| 1999 | 27.9% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 26.3% | -5.8% |
| 2001 | 26.4% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 27.2% | +2.9% |
| 2003 | 26.9% | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 27.4% | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 25.1% | -8.5% |
| 2006 | 23.0% | -8.5% |
| 2007 | 21.6% | -5.8% |
| 2008 | 19.0% | -12.2% |
| 2009 | 18.5% | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 18.2% | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 19.5% | +6.9% |
| 2012 | 20.1% | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 20.9% | +4.1% |
| 2014 | 22.9% | +9.8% |
| 2015 | 24.2% | +5.6% |
| 2016 | 24.4% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 24.3% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 22.7% | -6.7% |
| 2019 | 24.2% | +6.7% |
| 2020 | 22.9% | -5.5% |
| 2021 | 23.3% | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 24.8% | +6.1% |
| 2023 | 22.8% | -7.9% |
| 2024 | 21.5% | -5.5% |
| 2025 | 20.5% | -4.8% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 20.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 45.7%, 45% of the median. (70 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 20.5% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 43.1%, 48% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 48.5% | 48.1% | 48.9% | 2 |
| 1970s | 49.4% | 47.9% | 50.9% | 2 |
| 1980s | 35.8% | 28.3% | 46.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 30.1% | 27.8% | 31.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.2% | 18.5% | 27.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.1% | 18.2% | 24.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.6% | 20.5% | 24.8% | 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, male (%) in South Korea?
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) in South Korea was 20.5% 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, male (%) recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 50.9% in 1975.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.2% in 2010.
- How does South Korea rank for labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%)?
- South Korea ranks 174th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.4%. 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, male (%) (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.