Share of youth not in education, employment or training, male (% of) in South Korea
South Korea: Share of youth not in education, employment or training, male (% of) was 12.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of youth not in education, employment or training, male (% of) in South Korea, 2005–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of youth not in education, employment or training, male (% of) in South Korea is 12.2%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of youth not in education, employment or training, male (% of) in South Korea peaked at 14.3% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 10.6%, in 2008.
That places South Korea 112th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Share of youth not in education, employment or training, male (% of) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 13.4% | — |
| 2006 | 12.2% | -8.8% |
| 2007 | 10.8% | -11.7% |
| 2008 | 10.6% | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 10.9% | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 11.5% | +6.1% |
| 2011 | 11.9% | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 11.4% | -4.4% |
| 2013 | 11.5% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 11.5% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 12.7% | +10.5% |
| 2016 | 12.6% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 12.9% | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 12.9% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 13.2% | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 14.3% | +8.0% |
| 2021 | 13.7% | -4.1% |
| 2022 | 12.3% | -10.3% |
| 2023 | 12.2% | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 12.2% | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 12.2% | -0.0% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 12.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.3%, 1.2× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 12.2% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 10.7%, 1.1× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 11.6% | 10.6% | 13.4% | 5 |
| 2010s | 12.2% | 11.4% | 13.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.8% | 12.2% | 14.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 109 New Zealand 12.4% compare
- 110 Saudi Arabia 12.4% compare
- 111 Moldova 12.3% compare
- 113 Trinidad and Tobago 12.2% compare
- 114 Sri Lanka 12.1% compare
- 115 El Salvador 12.0% compare
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 youth not in education, employment or training, male (% of) in South Korea?
- Share of youth not in education, employment or training, male (% of) in South Korea was 12.2% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest share of youth not in education, employment or training, male (% of) recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 14.3% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of youth not in education, employment or training, male (% of) recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.6% in 2008.
- How does South Korea rank for share of youth not in education, employment or training, male (% of)?
- South Korea ranks 112th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of youth not in education, employment or training, male (% of) rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Share of youth not in education, employment or training, male (% of male youth population) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The share of youth not in education, employment or training (also known as “the NEET rate”) conveys the number of young persons not in education, employment or training as a percentage of the total youth population. Youth not in education are those who were neither enrolled in school nor in a formal training program (e.g. vocational training). For the purposes of this indicator, youth is defined as all persons between the ages of 15 and 24 (inclusive).