Unemployment rate of males vs females in South Korea
South Korea: Unemployment rate of males vs females was 2.68 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment rate of males vs females in South Korea, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment rate of males vs females in South Korea is 2.68, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 2.8% on the previous year and down 25.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate of males vs females in South Korea peaked at 7.8 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 2.31, in 1995.
South Korea ranks 150th of 186 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate of males vs females in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 2.68 | — |
| 1992 | 2.75 | +2.9% |
| 1993 | 3.28 | +19.0% |
| 1994 | 2.83 | -13.7% |
| 1995 | 2.31 | -18.4% |
| 1996 | 2.35 | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 2.81 | +19.5% |
| 1998 | 7.8 | +177.3% |
| 1999 | 7.16 | -8.2% |
| 2000 | 4.62 | -35.4% |
| 2001 | 4.18 | -9.6% |
| 2002 | 3.43 | -18.0% |
| 2003 | 3.56 | +3.9% |
| 2004 | 3.66 | +2.7% |
| 2005 | 3.75 | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 3.63 | -3.1% |
| 2007 | 3.44 | -5.3% |
| 2008 | 3.35 | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 3.83 | +14.5% |
| 2010 | 3.66 | -4.5% |
| 2011 | 3.24 | -11.6% |
| 2012 | 2.99 | -7.6% |
| 2013 | 3.26 | +9.0% |
| 2014 | 3.17 | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 3.59 | +13.4% |
| 2016 | 3.73 | +3.9% |
| 2017 | 3.78 | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 3.92 | +3.8% |
| 2019 | 3.87 | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 3.89 | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 3.56 | -8.3% |
| 2022 | 2.72 | -23.6% |
| 2023 | 2.64 | -3.1% |
| 2024 | 2.75 | +4.4% |
| 2025 | 2.68 | -2.8% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 2.68 is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.94, 54% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 2.68 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.35, 80% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment rate of males vs females 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 | +177.3% | 2.81 | 7.8 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.77 | 2.31 | 7.8 | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.75 | 3.35 | 4.62 | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.52 | 2.99 | 3.92 | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.04 | 2.64 | 3.89 | 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 rate of males vs females in South Korea?
- Unemployment rate of males vs females in South Korea was 2.68 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate of males vs females recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 7.8 in 1998.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate of males vs females recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.31 in 1995.
- How does South Korea rank for unemployment rate of males vs females?
- South Korea ranks 150th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate of males vs females rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rate of males vs females. 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).