Share of male vs female employment in industry in South Korea
South Korea: Share of male vs female employment in industry was 32.5 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of male vs female employment in industry in South Korea, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 32.5 for share of male vs female employment in industry in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of male vs female employment in industry in South Korea peaked at 41.97 in 1992 and was at its lowest, 32.5, in 2025.
That places South Korea 37th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Share of male vs female employment in industry in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 41.31 | — |
| 1992 | 41.97 | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 40.74 | -2.9% |
| 1994 | 40.84 | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 40.99 | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 40.32 | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 39.57 | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 35.34 | -10.7% |
| 1999 | 34.41 | -2.6% |
| 2000 | 35.41 | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 34.72 | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 34.7 | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 35.22 | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 34.89 | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 34.89 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 34.52 | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 34.07 | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 33.62 | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 32.96 | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 33.42 | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 33.09 | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 32.97 | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 33.62 | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 33.96 | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 33.8 | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 33.84 | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 33.79 | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 33.86 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 33.36 | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 33.46 | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 33.42 | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 33.28 | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 32.76 | -1.6% |
| 2024 | 32.75 | -0.0% |
| 2025 | 32.5 | -0.8% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 32.5 is above the median for high income countries, which is 29.11, 1.1× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 32.5 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 25.07, 1.3× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 39.5 | 34.41 | 41.97 | 9 |
| 2000s | 34.5 | 32.96 | 35.41 | 10 |
| 2010s | 33.57 | 32.97 | 33.96 | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.03 | 32.5 | 33.46 | 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)
- 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 share of male vs female employment in industry in South Korea?
- Share of male vs female employment in industry in South Korea was 32.5 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of male vs female employment in industry recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 41.97 in 1992.
- What is the lowest share of male vs female employment in industry recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.5 in 2025.
- How does South Korea rank for share of male vs female employment in industry?
- South Korea ranks 37th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of male vs female employment in industry rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of male vs female employment in industry. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).