Labor force with basic education in South Korea
South Korea: Labor force with basic education was 43.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Labor force with basic education in South Korea, 2000–2025
Source: Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO). Measured in % of total working-age population with basic education.
Analysis
The most recent figure for labor force with basic education in South Korea is 43.6%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.
The figure is down 1.5% on the previous year and down 12.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force with basic education in South Korea peaked at 65.5% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 43.6%, in 2025.
South Korea ranks 76th of 125 countries on this measure, 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 in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % of total working-age population with basic education | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 65.5% | — |
| 2001 | 63.8% | -2.6% |
| 2002 | 63.5% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 59.2% | -6.7% |
| 2004 | 58.8% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 57.3% | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 56.5% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 55.8% | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 54.9% | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 54.1% | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 53.3% | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 52.4% | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 51.7% | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 51.2% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 50.6% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 49.8% | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 48.9% | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 48.3% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 47.6% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 47.8% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 47.3% | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 46.4% | -2.1% |
| 2022 | 45.7% | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 44.8% | -1.9% |
| 2024 | 44.3% | -1.1% |
| 2025 | 43.6% | -1.5% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 43.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 41.5%, 1.1× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 43.6% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 55.6%, 79% of the median. (17 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 58.9% | 54.1% | 65.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 50.2% | 47.6% | 53.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 45.4% | 43.6% | 47.3% | 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 with basic education in South Korea?
- Labor force with basic education in South Korea was 43.6% in 2025, according to Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest labor force with basic education recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 65.5% in 2000.
- What is the lowest labor force with basic education recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.6% in 2025.
- How does South Korea rank for labor force with basic education?
- South Korea ranks 76th out of 125 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force with basic education rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.3%. 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 (% of total working-age population with basic education). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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).