Labor force participation rate, total (% of total) … national 15+ in South Korea
South Korea: Labor force participation rate, total (% of total) … national 15+ was 64.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) in South Korea, 1960–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) in South Korea stood at 64.9%. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) in South Korea peaked at 64.9% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 37.8%, in 1979.
South Korea ranks 78th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate, total (% of total) … national 15+ in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 50.1% | — |
| 1966 | 51.7% | +3.2% |
| 1970 | 56.2% | +8.8% |
| 1975 | 61.3% | +9.0% |
| 1979 | 37.8% | -38.3% |
| 1980 | 59.0% | +56.1% |
| 1981 | 58.5% | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 58.6% | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 57.7% | -1.6% |
| 1984 | 55.8% | -3.2% |
| 1985 | 56.6% | +1.4% |
| 1986 | 57.1% | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 58.3% | +2.1% |
| 1988 | 58.5% | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 59.5% | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 60.0% | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 60.6% | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 60.9% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 60.9% | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 61.6% | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 61.9% | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 62.1% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 62.5% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 60.6% | -3.0% |
| 1999 | 60.6% | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 61.6% | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 61.9% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 62.4% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 61.9% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 62.7% | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 62.6% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 62.5% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 62.4% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 62.0% | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 61.3% | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 61.4% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 61.5% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 61.7% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 62.1% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 62.9% | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 63.2% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 63.2% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 63.5% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 63.4% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 63.6% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 62.8% | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 63.1% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 64.2% | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 64.6% | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 64.8% | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 64.9% | +0.2% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 64.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 63.0%, 1.0× the median. (80 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 64.9% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 63.1%, 1.0× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Labor force participation rate, total (% of total) … national 15+ 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +56.1% | 37.8% | 59.0% |
| 1979 | -38.3% | 61.3% | 37.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 50.9% | 50.1% | 51.7% | 2 |
| 1970s | 51.8% | 37.8% | 61.3% | 3 |
| 1980s | 58.0% | 55.8% | 59.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 61.2% | 60.0% | 62.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 62.1% | 61.3% | 62.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 62.6% | 61.4% | 63.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 64.1% | 62.8% | 64.9% | 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, total (% of total population ages 15+) in South Korea?
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) in South Korea was 64.9% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 64.9% in 2025.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.8% in 1979.
- How does South Korea rank for labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+)?
- South Korea ranks 78th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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, total (% of total population ages 15+) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 51 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.