Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Korea
Korea: Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) was 72.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Korea, 1960–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Korea stood at 72.7%.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Korea peaked at 76.3% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 46.5%, in 1979.
That places Korea 77th out of 196 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 73.1% | — |
| 1966 | 72.6% | -0.7% |
| 1970 | 74.8% | +3.1% |
| 1975 | 76.3% | +1.9% |
| 1979 | 46.5% | -39.0% |
| 1980 | 70.5% | +51.6% |
| 1990 | 68.3% | -3.2% |
| 2000 | 74.5% | +9.2% |
| 2001 | 74.5% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 75.2% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 75.0% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 75.3% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 75.0% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 74.6% | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 74.5% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 73.8% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 73.3% | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 73.2% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 73.3% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 73.4% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 73.7% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 74.3% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 74.3% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 74.1% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 74.2% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 73.8% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 73.6% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 72.8% | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 72.7% | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 73.7% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 73.4% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 73.0% | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 72.7% | -0.3% |
Korea compared with similar countries
- Korea's 72.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 69.5%, 1.0× the median. (79 countries reporting)
- Korea's 72.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 71.0%, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +51.6% | 46.5% | 70.5% |
| 1979 | -39.0% | 76.3% | 46.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 72.8% | 72.6% | 73.1% | 2 |
| 1970s | 65.9% | 46.5% | 76.3% | 3 |
| 1980s | 70.5% | 70.5% | 70.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 68.3% | 68.3% | 68.3% | 1 |
| 2000s | 74.6% | 73.3% | 75.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 73.8% | 73.2% | 74.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 73.0% | 72.7% | 73.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Korea
- 74 Saint Kitts and Nevis 73.0% compare
- 75 Netherlands 73.0% compare
- 76 Vanuatu 72.9% compare
- 78 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 72.7% compare
- 79 Togo 72.7% compare
- 80 Palau 72.4% compare
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, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Korea?
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Korea was 72.7% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) recorded in Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 76.3% in 1975.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) recorded in Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 46.5% in 1979.
- How does Korea rank for labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+)?
- Korea ranks 77th out of 196 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) rising or falling in Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.1%. 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, male (% of male population ages 15+) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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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.