Labor force with basic education, female (% of female working-age) in South Korea
South Korea: Labor force with basic education, female (% of female working-age) was 40.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Labor force with basic education, female in South Korea, 2000–2025
Source: Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO). Measured in % of female working-age population with basic education.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 40.3% for labor force with basic education, female in 2025.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and down 7.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force with basic education, female in South Korea peaked at 57.2% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 39.9%, in 2023.
That places South Korea 50th out of 125 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Labor force with basic education, female (% of female working-age) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % of female working-age population with basic education | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 57.2% | — |
| 2001 | 55.8% | -2.4% |
| 2002 | 55.6% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 51.5% | -7.3% |
| 2004 | 51.2% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 50.1% | -2.1% |
| 2006 | 49.4% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 48.5% | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 47.9% | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 47.3% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 46.6% | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 45.7% | -2.0% |
| 2012 | 45.2% | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 44.7% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 44.1% | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 43.4% | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 42.4% | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 42.0% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 41.2% | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 42.0% | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 41.8% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 40.7% | -2.7% |
| 2022 | 40.3% | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 39.9% | -0.9% |
| 2024 | 40.1% | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 40.3% | +0.3% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 40.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 32.5%, 1.2× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 40.3% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 41.4%, 97% of the median. (17 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 51.4% | 47.3% | 57.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 43.7% | 41.2% | 46.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.5% | 39.9% | 41.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 47 Malaysia 41.4% compare
- 48 Netherlands 41.3% compare
- 49 Mexico 40.9% compare
- 51 El Salvador 40.1% compare
- 52 South Africa 39.8% compare
- 53 Bangladesh 39.8% compare
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 with basic education, female in South Korea?
- Labor force with basic education, female in South Korea was 40.3% in 2025, according to Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest labor force with basic education, female recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 57.2% in 2000.
- What is the lowest labor force with basic education, female recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 39.9% in 2023.
- How does South Korea rank for labor force with basic education, female?
- South Korea ranks 50th out of 125 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force with basic education, female rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Labor force with basic education, female (% of female working-age population with basic education). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The ratio of the labor force with basic education to the working-age population with basic education. Basic education comprises primary education or lower secondary education according to the International Standard Classification of Education 2011 (ISCED 2011).