Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Korea
Korea: Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates was 78.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Korea, 1990–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Korea is 78.9%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 9.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Korea peaked at 78.9% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 64.2%, in 1993.
Korea ranks 97th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 66.1% | — |
| 1991 | 64.8% | -1.9% |
| 1992 | 64.3% | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 64.2% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 64.6% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 65.2% | +1.0% |
| 1996 | 66.0% | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 67.3% | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 64.5% | -4.2% |
| 1999 | 65.8% | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 68.6% | +4.3% |
| 2001 | 69.4% | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 69.3% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 68.2% | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 69.5% | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 70.1% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 70.7% | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 70.5% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 70.8% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 70.1% | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 70.4% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 70.3% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 70.4% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 70.6% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 71.3% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 72.0% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 72.3% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 72.9% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 73.6% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 74.4% | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 74.3% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 75.0% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 75.7% | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 77.2% | +1.9% |
| 2024 | 78.7% | +2.0% |
| 2025 | 78.9% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 65.3% | 64.2% | 67.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 69.7% | 68.2% | 70.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 71.8% | 70.3% | 74.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 76.6% | 74.3% | 78.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Korea
- 94 Central African Republic 79.1% compare
- 95 Russian Federation 79.0% compare
- 96 Bhutan 79.0% compare
- 98 Poland 78.7% compare
- 99 Thailand 78.6% compare
- 100 Montenegro 78.3% compare
More work & labour data for 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 ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Korea?
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Korea was 78.9% in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest ratio of female to male labor force participation rates recorded in Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 78.9% in 2025.
- What is the lowest ratio of female to male labor force participation rates recorded in Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 64.2% in 1993.
- How does Korea rank for ratio of female to male labor force participation rates?
- Korea ranks 97th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is ratio of female to male labor force participation rates rising or falling in Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Korea data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
This ratio is calculated by dividing the labor force participation rate among women by the corresponding rate for men. The labor force participation rate is the share of the working-age population (ages 15 and over) who are economically active (employed or unemployed).