Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in South Korea
South Korea: Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) was 6.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in South Korea, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
South Korea recorded 6.7% for unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in 2025.
The figure is up 5.4% on the previous year and down 32.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in South Korea peaked at 19.5% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 5.4%, in 2023.
That places South Korea 142nd out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 9.0% | — |
| 1992 | 8.7% | -2.8% |
| 1993 | 11.1% | +27.1% |
| 1994 | 8.6% | -22.4% |
| 1995 | 7.3% | -14.9% |
| 1996 | 7.6% | +3.8% |
| 1997 | 8.7% | +14.8% |
| 1998 | 19.5% | +124.0% |
| 1999 | 16.7% | -14.5% |
| 2000 | 12.0% | -28.4% |
| 2001 | 10.9% | -8.9% |
| 2002 | 9.1% | -16.6% |
| 2003 | 10.6% | +16.9% |
| 2004 | 10.8% | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 10.6% | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 10.1% | -5.3% |
| 2007 | 9.8% | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 10.6% | +7.9% |
| 2009 | 10.7% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 9.8% | -8.1% |
| 2011 | 9.8% | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 8.2% | -16.3% |
| 2013 | 9.0% | +9.7% |
| 2014 | 9.3% | +3.7% |
| 2015 | 9.9% | +6.5% |
| 2016 | 10.3% | +3.9% |
| 2017 | 10.1% | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 10.4% | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 10.2% | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 10.7% | +5.7% |
| 2021 | 8.9% | -16.9% |
| 2022 | 7.2% | -19.0% |
| 2023 | 5.4% | -25.4% |
| 2024 | 6.3% | +17.4% |
| 2025 | 6.7% | +5.4% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 6.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 13.9%, 48% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 6.7% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 8.8%, 76% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) 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 | +124.0% | 8.7% | 19.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.8% | 7.3% | 19.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 10.5% | 9.1% | 12.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.7% | 8.2% | 10.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.5% | 5.4% | 10.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 139 Trinidad and Tobago 7.4% compare
- 140 North Korea 7.2% compare
- 141 Saudi Arabia 7.0% compare
- 143 Vietnam 6.7% compare
- 144 Malawi 6.6% compare
- 145 Honduras 6.6% compare
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, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in South Korea?
- Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in South Korea was 6.7% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 19.5% in 1998.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.4% in 2023.
- How does South Korea rank for unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24)?
- South Korea ranks 142nd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 32.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Youth unemployment refers to the share of the labor force ages 15-24 without work but available for and seeking employment.