Female share of the labor force in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of: Female share of the labor force was 48.2% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Female share of the labor force in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, 1990–2025
Source: International Labour Organization and UN Population Division, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, female share of the labor force in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of stood at 48.2%. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female share of the labor force in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of peaked at 49.5% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 48.2%, in 2025.
That places Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 40th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
Female share of the labor force in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 49.4% | — |
| 1991 | 49.4% | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 49.4% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 49.4% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 49.4% | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 49.4% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 49.4% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 49.5% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 49.4% | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 49.3% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 49.3% | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 49.3% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 49.2% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 49.2% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 49.1% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 49.1% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 49.1% | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 49.1% | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 49.0% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 49.0% | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 49.0% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 48.9% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 48.8% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 48.7% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 48.7% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 48.6% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 48.5% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 48.5% | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 48.5% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 48.5% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 48.4% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 48.4% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 48.3% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 48.3% | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 48.2% | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 48.2% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 49.4% | 49.3% | 49.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 49.1% | 49.0% | 49.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.7% | 48.5% | 49.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 48.3% | 48.2% | 48.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
More work & labour data for Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 82.13 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 17,790 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 3,871 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 931.04 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 3,086 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.2604 % change on previous year (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 0.3313 % change on previous year (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 79.21 (2027)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 89.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 81.9% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is female share of the labor force in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- Female share of the labor force in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of was 48.2% in 2025, according to International Labour Organization and UN Population Division, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest female share of the labor force recorded in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- The highest recorded value was 49.5% in 1997.
- What is the lowest female share of the labor force recorded in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.2% in 2025.
- How does Korea, Democratic People's Republic of rank for female share of the labor force?
- Korea, Democratic People's Republic of ranks 40th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is female share of the labor force rising or falling in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Korea, Democratic People's Republic of data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization and UN Population Division, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Female share of the labor force. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Share of the working-age population economically active (employed or unemployed) who are female.