Proportion of labor force who are women in North Korea
North Korea: Proportion of labor force who are women was 48.17 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
48.17
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
40th
of 186 countries
All-time high
49.46
in 1997
All-time low
48.17
in 2025
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Proportion of labor force who are women in North Korea, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, proportion of labor force who are women in North Korea stood at 48.17. 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, proportion of labor force who are women in North Korea peaked at 49.46 in 1997 and was at its lowest, 48.17, in 2025.
That places North Korea 40th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
Proportion of labor force who are women in North Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 49.39 | — |
| 1991 | 49.36 | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 49.37 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 49.38 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 49.37 | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 49.39 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 49.4 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 49.46 | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 49.45 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 49.35 | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 49.32 | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 49.26 | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 49.22 | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 49.18 | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 49.14 | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 49.08 | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 49.08 | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 49.08 | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 49.02 | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 48.99 | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 48.95 | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 48.89 | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 48.82 | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 48.74 | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 48.66 | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 48.61 | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 48.5 | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 48.49 | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 48.5 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 48.46 | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 48.43 | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 48.45 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 48.3 | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 48.26 | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 48.21 | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 48.17 | -0.1% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 48.17 is above the median for low income countries, which is 47.68, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 48.17 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 45.84, 1.1× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 49.39 | 49.35 | 49.46 | 10 |
| 2000s | 49.14 | 48.99 | 49.32 | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.66 | 48.46 | 48.95 | 10 |
| 2020s | 48.3 | 48.17 | 48.45 | 6 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More work & labour data for North Korea
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 82.13 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 3,871 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 17,790 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 79.21 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 0.555 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.2604 % change on previous year (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 931.04 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 3,086 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 3.56 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 0.3313 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of labor force who are women in North Korea?
- Proportion of labor force who are women in North Korea was 48.17 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest proportion of labor force who are women recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 49.46 in 1997.
- What is the lowest proportion of labor force who are women recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.17 in 2025.
- How does North Korea rank for proportion of labor force who are women?
- North Korea ranks 40th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is proportion of labor force who are women rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Proportion of labor force who are women. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).