Persons outside: ICLS19) (15+) … current in South Korea
South Korea: Persons outside: ICLS19) (15+) … current was 16,053 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Persons outside the labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in South Korea, 2014–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
South 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 South Korea peaked at 16,655 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 15,873, in 2014.
That places South Korea 11th out of 70 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
Persons outside: ICLS19) (15+) … current in South Korea, year by year
| 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% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 16,053 is above the median for high income countries, which is 2,472, 6.5× the median. (51 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 16,053 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2,876, 5.6× the median. (9 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 16,048 | 15,873 | 16,213 | 6 |
| 2020s | 16,280 | 16,053 | 16,655 | 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 persons outside the labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in South Korea?
- Persons outside the labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in South 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 South 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 South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 15,873 in 2014.
- How does South Korea rank for persons outside the labour force (current ilo definition - icls19)?
- South 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 South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South 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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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 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.