Persons outside the labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Republic of Korea

Republic of Korea: Persons outside the labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) was 16,053 in 2025. ▬ Flat

Latest (2025)
16,053
Change on year
down 0.0%
World rank
11th
of 70 countries
All-time high
16,655
in 2020
All-time low
15,873
in 2014
Years of data
12
2014–2025

Persons outside the labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Republic of Korea, 2014–2025

05.0k10.0k15.0k2014201920252014: 15.9k2015: 15.9k2016: 16.0k2017: 16.0k2018: 16.2k2019: 16.2k2020: 16.7k2021: 16.6k2022: 16.2k2023: 16.1k2024: 16.1k2025: 16.1k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

Republic of Korea recorded 16,053 for persons outside the labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in 2025.

That represents a change of up 0.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, persons outside the labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in Republic of Korea peaked at 16,655 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 15,873, in 2014.

That places Republic of Korea 11th out of 70 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.

Persons outside the labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Republic of Korea, year by year

Annual values for Persons outside the labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+) in Republic of Korea, 2014 to 2025.
Year Value Change
2014 15,873
2015 15,923 +0.3%
2016 16,049 +0.8%
2017 16,044 -0.0%
2018 16,187 +0.9%
2019 16,213 +0.2%
2020 16,655 +2.7%
2021 16,645 -0.1%
2022 16,201 -2.7%
2023 16,073 -0.8%
2024 16,053 -0.1%
2025 16,053 -0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 16,048 15,873 16,213 6
2020s 16,280 16,053 16,655 6

Countries ranked near Republic of Korea

  1. 8 France 24,057 compare
  2. 9 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 21,214 compare
  3. 10 Spain 17,282 compare
  4. 12 Poland 12,622 compare
  5. 13 Canada 12,002 compare
  6. 14 Ghana 8,586 compare

See the full ranking of 70 places →

More work & labour data for Republic of Korea

All data for Republic of Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is persons outside the labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in Republic of Korea?
Persons outside the labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in Republic of Korea was 16,053 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest persons outside the labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in Republic of Korea?
The highest recorded value was 16,655 in 2020.
What is the lowest persons outside the labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in Republic of Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 15,873 in 2014.
How does Republic of Korea rank for persons outside the labour force (current ilo definition - icls19)?
Republic of Korea ranks 11th out of 70 countries with data for 2025.
Is persons outside the labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Republic of Korea data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Persons outside the labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Persons outside the labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Republic of Korea. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/persons-outside-the-labour-force-current-ilo-definition-icls19-15/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Persons outside the labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
70 places, 711 data points, 2014–2025
Last refreshed

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 includes only countries for which the 19th ICLS definitions are applied. Persons outside the labour force comprise all persons of working age who, during the specified reference period, were not in the labour force (that is, were not employed or unemployed). For more information, refer to the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database description.