Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Korea
Korea: Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) was 2.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Korea, 1975–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Korea is 2.7%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 2.9% on the previous year and down 21.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Korea peaked at 5.6% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 1.6%, in 1996.
Korea ranks 155th of 181 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 2.6% | — |
| 1976 | 2.0% | -24.6% |
| 1977 | 2.4% | +22.7% |
| 1978 | 2.2% | -7.8% |
| 1979 | 2.4% | +8.4% |
| 1980 | 3.5% | +44.7% |
| 1981 | 2.5% | -30.2% |
| 1982 | 2.5% | +2.5% |
| 1983 | 2.2% | -12.9% |
| 1984 | 2.2% | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 2.4% | +7.5% |
| 1987 | 1.8% | -23.4% |
| 1988 | 1.7% | -3.9% |
| 1989 | 1.8% | +5.6% |
| 1990 | 1.8% | -3.4% |
| 1991 | 1.9% | +8.8% |
| 1992 | 2.1% | +6.3% |
| 1993 | 2.2% | +7.5% |
| 1994 | 1.9% | -14.1% |
| 1995 | 1.7% | -12.1% |
| 1996 | 1.6% | -5.6% |
| 1997 | 2.3% | +47.1% |
| 1998 | 5.6% | +141.7% |
| 1999 | 5.3% | -5.7% |
| 2000 | 3.2% | -38.4% |
| 2001 | 3.0% | -7.3% |
| 2002 | 2.5% | -17.0% |
| 2003 | 3.0% | +21.6% |
| 2004 | 3.1% | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 3.1% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 2.7% | -12.5% |
| 2007 | 2.4% | -11.4% |
| 2008 | 2.4% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 2.7% | +11.7% |
| 2010 | 2.8% | +5.7% |
| 2011 | 2.6% | -7.0% |
| 2012 | 2.6% | -3.3% |
| 2013 | 2.8% | +9.4% |
| 2014 | 3.0% | +6.0% |
| 2015 | 3.5% | +17.6% |
| 2016 | 3.5% | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 3.5% | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 3.7% | +6.0% |
| 2019 | 3.6% | -3.0% |
| 2020 | 4.0% | +11.4% |
| 2021 | 3.7% | -6.3% |
| 2022 | 3.0% | -19.0% |
| 2023 | 2.7% | -10.2% |
| 2024 | 2.8% | +3.7% |
| 2025 | 2.7% | -2.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.3% | 2.0% | 2.6% | 5 |
| 1980s | 2.3% | 1.7% | 3.5% | 9 |
| 1990s | 2.6% | 1.6% | 5.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.8% | 2.4% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.2% | 2.6% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.2% | 2.7% | 4.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Korea
- 152 Hong Kong, China 3.0% compare
- 153 Israel 2.9% compare
- 154 Seychelles 2.8% compare
- 156 Belarus 2.7% compare
- 157 Mexico 2.6% compare
- 158 Philippines 2.6% 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 unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Korea?
- Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Korea was 2.7% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, female (% of female labor force) recorded in Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 5.6% in 1998.
- What is the lowest unemployment, female (% of female labor force) recorded in Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.6% in 1996.
- How does Korea rank for unemployment, female (% of female labor force)?
- Korea ranks 155th out of 181 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, female (% of female labor force) rising or falling in Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.