Labour force participation rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in South Korea
South Korea: Labour force participation rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) was 64.92 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labour force participation rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in South Korea, 1960–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) in South Korea stood at 64.92. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) in South Korea peaked at 64.92 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 37.8, in 1979.
That places South Korea 80th out of 210 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Labour force participation rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 50.1 | — |
| 1966 | 51.68 | +3.2% |
| 1970 | 56.25 | +8.8% |
| 1975 | 61.29 | +9.0% |
| 1979 | 37.8 | -38.3% |
| 1980 | 59.01 | +56.1% |
| 1981 | 58.51 | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 58.63 | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 57.68 | -1.6% |
| 1984 | 55.83 | -3.2% |
| 1985 | 56.59 | +1.4% |
| 1986 | 57.1 | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 58.27 | +2.1% |
| 1988 | 58.46 | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 59.55 | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 60.02 | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 60.6 | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 60.89 | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 60.89 | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 61.6 | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 61.94 | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 62.11 | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 62.5 | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 60.62 | -3.0% |
| 1999 | 60.6 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 61.57 | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 61.88 | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 62.45 | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 61.88 | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 62.69 | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 62.55 | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 62.52 | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 62.45 | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 61.97 | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 61.28 | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 61.36 | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 61.53 | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 61.71 | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 62.1 | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 62.91 | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 63.17 | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 63.2 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 63.48 | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 63.36 | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 63.57 | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 62.81 | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 63.08 | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 64.21 | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 64.6 | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 64.77 | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 64.92 | +0.2% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 64.92 is above the median for high income countries, which is 63.11, 1.0× the median. (80 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 64.92 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 63.2, 1.0× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Labour force participation rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in South Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +56.1% | 37.8 | 59.01 |
| 1979 | -38.3% | 61.29 | 37.8 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 50.89 | 50.1 | 51.68 | 2 |
| 1970s | 51.78 | 37.8 | 61.29 | 3 |
| 1980s | 57.96 | 55.83 | 59.55 | 10 |
| 1990s | 61.18 | 60.02 | 62.5 | 10 |
| 2000s | 62.12 | 61.28 | 62.69 | 10 |
| 2010s | 62.64 | 61.36 | 63.57 | 10 |
| 2020s | 64.07 | 62.81 | 64.92 | 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 labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) in South Korea?
- Labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) in South Korea was 64.92 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 64.92 in 2025.
- What is the lowest labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.8 in 1979.
- How does South Korea rank for labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13)?
- South Korea ranks 80th out of 210 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.8%. 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 participation rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. The labour force participation rate is the labour force as a percent of the working-age population. 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 Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.