Trade union density rate in South Korea
South Korea: Trade union density rate was 12.37 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Trade union density rate in South Korea, 2000–2020
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 12.37 for trade union density rate in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, trade union density rate in South Korea peaked at 12.76 in 2008 and was at its lowest, 10.95, in 2011.
That places South Korea 60th out of 86 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Trade union density rate in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 11.43 | — |
| 2001 | 11.49 | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 11.3 | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 11.39 | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 12.41 | +8.9% |
| 2005 | 11.75 | -5.3% |
| 2006 | 11.28 | -4.0% |
| 2007 | 12.08 | +7.1% |
| 2008 | 12.76 | +5.7% |
| 2009 | 12.19 | -4.5% |
| 2010 | 11.44 | -6.1% |
| 2011 | 10.95 | -4.3% |
| 2012 | 11.57 | +5.6% |
| 2013 | 12.47 | +7.8% |
| 2014 | 12.53 | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 12.43 | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 12.02 | -3.2% |
| 2017 | 12.44 | +3.4% |
| 2018 | 12.48 | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 12.37 | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 12.37 | -0.0% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 12.37 is below the median for high income countries, which is 20.76, 60% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 12.37 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 15.23, 81% of the median. (12 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 11.81 | 11.28 | 12.76 | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.07 | 10.95 | 12.53 | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.37 | 12.37 | 12.37 | 1 |
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 trade union density rate in South Korea?
- Trade union density rate in South Korea was 12.37 in 2020, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest trade union density rate recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 12.76 in 2008.
- What is the lowest trade union density rate recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.95 in 2011.
- How does South Korea rank for trade union density rate?
- South Korea ranks 60th out of 86 countries with data for 2020.
- Is trade union density rate rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Trade union density rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
A trade union is defined as a workers' organization constituted for the purpose of furthering and defending the interests of workers. This trade union density rate conveys the number of union members who are employees as a percentage of the total number of employees. For the purpose of this indicator in particular, trade union membership excludes union members who are not in paid employment (self-employed, unemployed, retired, etc.), unless otherwise stated in the notes. The statistics presented in this table result from an ILO data compilation effort (including an annual questionnaire and numerous special enquiries), with contributions from J. Visser. For more information, refer to the Industrial Relations data (IRdata) database description.