Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 62.1% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of stood at 62.1%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of peaked at 62.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 60.3%, in 1991.
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of ranks 43rd of 187 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 60.3% | — |
| 1992 | 60.6% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 60.9% | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 61.2% | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 61.5% | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 61.8% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 62.1% | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 62.3% | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 62.3% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 62.3% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 62.3% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 62.2% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 62.1% | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 62.0% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 61.8% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 61.7% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 61.7% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 61.6% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 61.6% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 61.6% | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 61.6% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 61.6% | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 61.5% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 61.5% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 61.5% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 61.5% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 61.5% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 61.6% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 61.6% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 62.7% | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 62.2% | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 62.3% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 62.2% | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 62.1% | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 62.1% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 61.4% | 60.3% | 62.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 61.9% | 61.6% | 62.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 61.6% | 61.5% | 61.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 62.3% | 62.1% | 62.7% | 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)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 3.56 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 0.3313 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 0.555 (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)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 79.21 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 931.04 (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of was 62.1% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- The highest recorded value was 62.7% in 2020.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- The lowest recorded value was 60.3% in 1991.
- How does Korea, Democratic People's Republic of rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Korea, Democratic People's Republic of ranks 43rd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.8%. 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 ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Self-employed workers are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or a few partners or in cooperative, hold the type of jobs defined as a "self-employment jobs." i.e. jobs where the remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits derived from the goods and services produced. Self-employed workers include sub-categories of employers, own-account workers and members of producers' cooperatives and contributing family workers.