Population by labor force status in South Korea
South Korea: Population by labor force status was 5.27 million people in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
5.27 million people
Change on year
down 3.5%
World rank
69th
of 186 countries
All-time high
11.20 million people
in 1991
All-time low
5.27 million people
in 2025
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Population by labor force status in South Korea, 1991–2025
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population by labor force status in South Korea is 5.27 million people, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 3.5% on the previous year and down 24.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population by labor force status in South Korea peaked at 11.20 million people in 1991 and was at its lowest, 5.27 million people, in 2025.
That places South Korea 69th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Population by labor force status in South Korea, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 11.20 million people | — |
| 1992 | 11.02 million people | -1.6% |
| 1993 | 10.86 million people | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 10.70 million people | -1.5% |
| 1995 | 10.50 million people | -1.9% |
| 1996 | 10.29 million people | -2.0% |
| 1997 | 10.11 million people | -1.7% |
| 1998 | 9.97 million people | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 9.87 million people | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 9.81 million people | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 9.77 million people | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 9.68 million people | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 9.56 million people | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 9.41 million people | -1.6% |
| 2005 | 9.21 million people | -2.1% |
| 2006 | 8.98 million people | -2.5% |
| 2007 | 8.73 million people | -2.8% |
| 2008 | 8.47 million people | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 8.22 million people | -2.9% |
| 2010 | 7.99 million people | -2.8% |
| 2011 | 7.76 million people | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 7.53 million people | -2.9% |
| 2013 | 7.34 million people | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 7.18 million people | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 7.02 million people | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 6.85 million people | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 6.70 million people | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 6.56 million people | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 6.42 million people | -2.1% |
| 2020 | 6.28 million people | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 6.12 million people | -2.6% |
| 2022 | 5.91 million people | -3.4% |
| 2023 | 5.68 million people | -3.9% |
| 2024 | 5.47 million people | -3.7% |
| 2025 | 5.27 million people | -3.5% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 5.27 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 941,170 people, 5.6× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 5.27 million people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.11 million people, 4.7× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.50 million people | 9.87 million people | 11.20 million people | 9 |
| 2000s | 9.18 million people | 8.22 million people | 9.81 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.14 million people | 6.42 million people | 7.99 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.79 million people | 5.27 million people | 6.28 million people | 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 population by labor force status in South Korea?
- Population by labor force status in South Korea was 5.27 million people in 2025, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population by labor force status recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 11.20 million people in 1991.
- What is the lowest population by labor force status recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.27 million people in 2025.
- How does South Korea rank for population by labor force status?
- South Korea ranks 69th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population by labor force status rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Population by labor force status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Population below working age (under 15 years old).