Unemployment rate for young people in North Korea
North Korea: Unemployment rate for young people was 7.9 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
7.9
Change on year
up 1.7%
World rank
138th
of 186 countries
All-time high
8.51
in 2020
All-time low
5.54
in 1991
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Unemployment rate for young people in North Korea, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment rate for young people in North Korea is 7.9, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and up 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate for young people in North Korea peaked at 8.51 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 5.54, in 1991.
That places North Korea 138th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate for young people in North Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 5.54 | — |
| 1992 | 5.67 | +2.4% |
| 1993 | 5.98 | +5.4% |
| 1994 | 6.32 | +5.7% |
| 1995 | 6.45 | +2.0% |
| 1996 | 6.62 | +2.6% |
| 1997 | 6.91 | +4.5% |
| 1998 | 7.51 | +8.6% |
| 1999 | 8.05 | +7.2% |
| 2000 | 8.01 | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 8.06 | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 8 | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 8.04 | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 7.96 | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 7.88 | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 7.82 | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 7.73 | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 7.56 | -2.2% |
| 2009 | 7.58 | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 7.46 | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 7.65 | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 7.58 | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 7.69 | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 7.63 | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 7.76 | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 8.09 | +4.3% |
| 2017 | 7.92 | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 7.76 | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 7.61 | -2.1% |
| 2020 | 8.51 | +11.9% |
| 2021 | 8.1 | -4.8% |
| 2022 | 7.61 | -6.0% |
| 2023 | 7.58 | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 7.76 | +2.5% |
| 2025 | 7.9 | +1.7% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 7.9 is above the median for low income countries, which is 7.85, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 7.9 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 8.96, 88% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.56 | 5.54 | 8.05 | 9 |
| 2000s | 7.86 | 7.56 | 8.06 | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.71 | 7.46 | 8.09 | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.91 | 7.58 | 8.51 | 6 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
- 135 Kyrgyzstan 8.23 compare
- 136 Trinidad and Tobago 8.22 compare
- 137 Ecuador 8.16 compare
- 139 Democratic Republic of Congo 7.85 compare
- 140 El Salvador 7.81 compare
- 141 Russia 7.61 compare
More work & labour data for North Korea
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 17,790 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 82.13 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 3,871 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 0.555 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 3.56 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 3,086 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 931.04 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 79.21 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 0.3313 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.2604 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment rate for young people in North Korea?
- Unemployment rate for young people in North Korea was 7.9 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate for young people recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 8.51 in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate for young people recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.54 in 1991.
- How does North Korea rank for unemployment rate for young people?
- North Korea ranks 138th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate for young people rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rate for young people. 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).