Labour dependency ratio (ILO modelled estimates) in South Korea
South Korea: Labour dependency ratio (ILO modelled estimates) was 0.78 in 2027. ▼ Falling
Labour dependency ratio in South Korea, 1991–2027
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2027, labour dependency ratio in South Korea stood at 0.78.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and down 13.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labour dependency ratio in South Korea peaked at 1.28 in 1991 and was at its lowest, 0.778, in 2025.
South Korea ranks 177th of 188 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 37 years of available data.
Labour dependency ratio (ILO modelled estimates) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 1.28 | — |
| 1992 | 1.25 | -1.9% |
| 1993 | 1.25 | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 1.2 | -4.0% |
| 1995 | 1.16 | -3.2% |
| 1996 | 1.14 | -2.1% |
| 1997 | 1.12 | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 1.28 | +13.7% |
| 1999 | 1.25 | -1.9% |
| 2000 | 1.17 | -6.5% |
| 2001 | 1.14 | -2.3% |
| 2002 | 1.1 | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 1.12 | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 1.09 | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 1.08 | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 1.07 | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 1.05 | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 1.05 | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 1.07 | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 1.05 | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 1.02 | -3.0% |
| 2012 | 0.991 | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 0.969 | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 0.931 | -3.9% |
| 2015 | 0.921 | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 0.913 | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 0.897 | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 0.898 | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 0.883 | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 0.902 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 0.881 | -2.3% |
| 2022 | 0.822 | -6.7% |
| 2023 | 0.796 | -3.2% |
| 2024 | 0.784 | -1.5% |
| 2025 | 0.778 | -0.8% |
| 2026 | 0.778 | +0.0% |
| 2027 | 0.78 | +0.3% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 0.78 is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.06, 74% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 0.78 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.06, 73% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.21 | 1.12 | 1.28 | 9 |
| 2000s | 1.1 | 1.05 | 1.17 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9472 | 0.883 | 1.05 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8151 | 0.778 | 0.902 | 8 |
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)
- 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)
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labour dependency ratio in South Korea?
- Labour dependency ratio in South Korea was 0.78 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest labour dependency ratio recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 1.28 in 1991.
- What is the lowest labour dependency ratio recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.778 in 2025.
- How does South Korea rank for labour dependency ratio?
- South Korea ranks 177th out of 188 countries with data for 2027.
- Is labour dependency ratio rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Labour dependency ratio (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 37 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
Imputed observations are not based on national data, are subject to high uncertainty and should not be used for country comparisons or rankings. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. This indicator provides the ratio of dependents (persons aged 0 to 14 + persons aged 15 and above that are either outside the labour force or unemployed) to total employment. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.