Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) in South Korea
South Korea: Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) was 2.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in South Korea, 1975–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in South Korea is 2.8%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.7% on the previous year and down 21.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in South Korea peaked at 7.6% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 2.3%, in 1995.
South Korea ranks 141st of 181 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 51 years of available data.
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 5.0% | — |
| 1976 | 4.9% | -3.1% |
| 1977 | 4.6% | -6.0% |
| 1978 | 3.7% | -18.9% |
| 1979 | 4.7% | +24.9% |
| 1980 | 6.2% | +32.8% |
| 1981 | 5.7% | -7.5% |
| 1982 | 5.5% | -4.0% |
| 1983 | 5.2% | -4.8% |
| 1984 | 4.8% | -8.7% |
| 1985 | 5.0% | +4.7% |
| 1986 | 4.9% | -1.4% |
| 1987 | 3.9% | -20.4% |
| 1988 | 3.0% | -22.7% |
| 1989 | 3.1% | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 2.9% | -4.9% |
| 1991 | 2.5% | -12.9% |
| 1992 | 2.6% | +3.4% |
| 1993 | 3.2% | +20.5% |
| 1994 | 2.7% | -13.0% |
| 1995 | 2.3% | -18.1% |
| 1996 | 2.3% | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 2.8% | +20.1% |
| 1998 | 7.6% | +176.3% |
| 1999 | 7.3% | -4.4% |
| 2000 | 4.6% | -36.3% |
| 2001 | 4.2% | -9.6% |
| 2002 | 3.4% | -18.0% |
| 2003 | 3.6% | +3.8% |
| 2004 | 3.7% | +2.7% |
| 2005 | 3.8% | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 3.6% | -3.0% |
| 2007 | 3.5% | -5.3% |
| 2008 | 3.4% | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 3.8% | +14.5% |
| 2010 | 3.7% | -4.6% |
| 2011 | 3.2% | -11.6% |
| 2012 | 3.0% | -7.6% |
| 2013 | 3.3% | +8.9% |
| 2014 | 3.2% | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 3.6% | +13.3% |
| 2016 | 3.7% | +3.9% |
| 2017 | 3.8% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 3.9% | +3.8% |
| 2019 | 3.9% | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 3.9% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 3.6% | -8.3% |
| 2022 | 2.7% | -23.6% |
| 2023 | 2.6% | -3.1% |
| 2024 | 2.8% | +4.4% |
| 2025 | 2.8% | +2.7% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 2.8% is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.8%, 59% of the median. (75 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 2.8% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.5%, 81% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) in South Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +176.3% | 2.8% | 7.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.6% | 3.7% | 5.0% | 5 |
| 1980s | 4.7% | 3.0% | 6.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.6% | 2.3% | 7.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.8% | 3.4% | 4.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.5% | 3.0% | 3.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.1% | 2.6% | 3.9% | 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 unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in South Korea?
- Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in South Korea was 2.8% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 7.6% in 1998.
- What is the lowest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.3% in 1995.
- How does South Korea rank for unemployment, male (% of male labor force)?
- South Korea ranks 141st out of 181 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 51 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.