Labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 in South Korea
South Korea: Labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 was 28.62 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
28.62
Change on year
down 6.0%
World rank
116th
of 171 countries
All-time high
51.24
in 1975
All-time low
27.26
in 2009
Years of data
32
1960–2025
Labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 in South Korea, 1960–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 in South Korea stood at 28.62.
That represents a change of down 6.0% on the previous year and down 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 in South Korea peaked at 51.24 in 1975 and was at its lowest, 27.26, in 2009.
That places South Korea 116th out of 171 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 32 years of available data.
Labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 27.93 | — |
| 1966 | 33.33 | +19.3% |
| 1970 | 41.92 | +25.8% |
| 1975 | 51.24 | +22.2% |
| 1980 | 43.32 | -15.5% |
| 1990 | 33.71 | -22.2% |
| 2000 | 35.29 | +4.7% |
| 2001 | 37.01 | +4.9% |
| 2002 | 37.58 | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 37.64 | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 38.12 | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 36.76 | -3.6% |
| 2006 | 33.77 | -8.1% |
| 2007 | 30.48 | -9.7% |
| 2008 | 28.78 | -5.6% |
| 2009 | 27.26 | -5.3% |
| 2010 | 27.86 | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 27.83 | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 28.71 | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 28.92 | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 30.12 | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 31.89 | +5.9% |
| 2016 | 32.02 | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 31.58 | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 31.61 | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 30.71 | -2.8% |
| 2020 | 29.33 | -4.5% |
| 2021 | 31.42 | +7.1% |
| 2022 | 32.71 | +4.1% |
| 2023 | 31.45 | -3.9% |
| 2024 | 30.45 | -3.2% |
| 2025 | 28.62 | -6.0% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 28.62 is below the median for high income countries, which is 36.18, 79% of the median. (69 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 28.62 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 35.28, 81% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 30.63 | 27.93 | 33.33 | 2 |
| 1970s | 46.58 | 41.92 | 51.24 | 2 |
| 1980s | 43.32 | 43.32 | 43.32 | 1 |
| 1990s | 33.71 | 33.71 | 33.71 | 1 |
| 2000s | 34.27 | 27.26 | 38.12 | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.12 | 27.83 | 32.02 | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.66 | 28.62 | 32.71 | 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 rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 in South Korea?
- Labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 in South Korea was 28.62 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 51.24 in 1975.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.26 in 2009.
- How does South Korea rank for labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980?
- South Korea ranks 116th out of 171 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Labor force participation rates for women ages 15 24 2020 vs 1980. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).