Labor force participation rate in South Korea
South Korea: Labor force participation rate was 64.35 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
64.35
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
71st
of 186 countries
All-time high
64.47
in 2024
All-time low
59.38
in 1990
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Labor force participation rate in South Korea, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for labor force participation rate in South Korea is 64.35, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate in South Korea peaked at 64.47 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 59.38, in 1990.
South Korea ranks 71st of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 59.38 | — |
| 1991 | 60.11 | +1.2% |
| 1992 | 60.39 | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 60.41 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 61.13 | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 61.46 | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 61.67 | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 62.02 | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 60.21 | -2.9% |
| 1999 | 60.18 | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 60.75 | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 61.11 | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 61.62 | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 61.11 | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 61.82 | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 61.56 | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 61.46 | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 61.32 | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 60.81 | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 60.22 | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 60.33 | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 60.64 | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 60.93 | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 61.4 | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 62.28 | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 62.58 | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 62.63 | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 62.91 | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 62.76 | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 62.99 | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 62.27 | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 62.55 | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 63.79 | +2.0% |
| 2023 | 64.27 | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 64.47 | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 64.35 | -0.2% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 64.35 is above the median for high income countries, which is 62.28, 1.0× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 64.35 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 64.35, 1.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 60.7 | 59.38 | 62.02 | 10 |
| 2000s | 61.18 | 60.22 | 61.82 | 10 |
| 2010s | 61.94 | 60.33 | 62.99 | 10 |
| 2020s | 63.62 | 62.27 | 64.47 | 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 in South Korea?
- Labor force participation rate in South Korea was 64.35 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor force participation rate recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 64.47 in 2024.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 59.38 in 1990.
- How does South Korea rank for labor force participation rate?
- South Korea ranks 71st out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Labor force participation rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).