Potential labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in South Korea
South Korea: Potential labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) was 955.02 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Potential labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in South Korea, 2015–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in South Korea stood at 955.02. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.7% on the previous year and down 43.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in South Korea peaked at 1,808 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 955.02, in 2025.
South Korea ranks 11th of 61 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Potential labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 1,702 | — |
| 2016 | 1,530 | -10.1% |
| 2017 | 1,579 | +3.2% |
| 2018 | 1,674 | +6.0% |
| 2019 | 1,633 | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 1,795 | +9.9% |
| 2021 | 1,808 | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 1,473 | -18.5% |
| 2023 | 1,112 | -24.5% |
| 2024 | 981.12 | -11.8% |
| 2025 | 955.02 | -2.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 1,624 | 1,530 | 1,702 | 5 |
| 2020s | 1,354 | 955.02 | 1,808 | 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)
- 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)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 64.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in South Korea?
- Potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in South Korea was 955.02 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 1,808 in 2021.
- What is the lowest potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 955.02 in 2025.
- How does South Korea rank for potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19)?
- South Korea ranks 11th out of 61 countries with data for 2025.
- Is potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 43.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Potential 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. The potential labour force refers to persons not in employment who express an interest in this form of work but for whom existing conditions limit their active job search and/or their availability. This group is used to calculate alternative measures of labour underutilization. For more information, refer to the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database description.