Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) in South Korea
South Korea: Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) was 29,824 in 2027. ▲ Rising
Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) in South Korea, 1990–2027
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 29,824 for labour force (ilo modelled estimates) in 2027.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 5.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labour force (ilo modelled estimates) in South Korea peaked at 29,856 in 2026 and was at its lowest, 19,415, in 1990.
That places South Korea 24th out of 188 countries with data for 2027, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 19,415 | — |
| 1991 | 19,978 | +2.9% |
| 1992 | 20,314 | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 20,554 | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 21,047 | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 21,432 | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 21,801 | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 22,225 | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 21,836 | -1.7% |
| 1999 | 22,046 | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 22,452 | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 22,780 | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 23,178 | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 23,192 | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 23,668 | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 23,788 | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 23,990 | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 24,191 | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 24,256 | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 24,284 | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 24,602 | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 25,084 | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 25,630 | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 26,236 | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 27,005 | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 27,514 | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 27,835 | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 28,174 | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 28,288 | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 28,564 | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 28,382 | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 28,604 | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 29,263 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 29,608 | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 29,816 | +0.7% |
| 2025 | 29,855 | +0.1% |
| 2026 | 29,856 | +0.0% |
| 2027 | 29,824 | -0.1% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 29,824 is above the median for high income countries, which is 3,118, 9.6× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 29,824 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3,691, 8.1× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 21,065 | 19,415 | 22,225 | 10 |
| 2000s | 23,578 | 22,452 | 24,284 | 10 |
| 2010s | 26,893 | 24,602 | 28,564 | 10 |
| 2020s | 29,401 | 28,382 | 29,856 | 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)
- 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)
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labour force (ilo modelled estimates) in South Korea?
- Labour force (ilo modelled estimates) in South Korea was 29,824 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest labour force (ilo modelled estimates) recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 29,856 in 2026.
- What is the lowest labour force (ilo modelled estimates) recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 19,415 in 1990.
- How does South Korea rank for labour force (ilo modelled estimates)?
- South Korea ranks 24th out of 188 countries with data for 2027.
- Is labour force (ilo modelled estimates) rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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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. The labour force is the sum of all persons of working age who are employed and those who are unemployed. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.