Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Korea
Korea: Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) was 6.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Korea, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Korea stood at 6.7%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.1% on the previous year and down 32.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Korea peaked at 15.7% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 5.4%, in 2023.
Korea ranks 149th of 187 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 7.2% | — |
| 1992 | 7.5% | +4.5% |
| 1993 | 8.8% | +17.4% |
| 1994 | 7.1% | -18.9% |
| 1995 | 6.2% | -13.5% |
| 1996 | 6.0% | -2.5% |
| 1997 | 7.5% | +24.3% |
| 1998 | 15.7% | +110.5% |
| 1999 | 13.9% | -11.6% |
| 2000 | 10.0% | -28.0% |
| 2001 | 9.4% | -6.4% |
| 2002 | 7.9% | -15.6% |
| 2003 | 9.4% | +19.3% |
| 2004 | 9.8% | +4.0% |
| 2005 | 9.3% | -4.9% |
| 2006 | 8.9% | -4.3% |
| 2007 | 7.9% | -11.9% |
| 2008 | 8.7% | +10.1% |
| 2009 | 9.2% | +6.6% |
| 2010 | 8.5% | -7.4% |
| 2011 | 8.3% | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 7.7% | -6.7% |
| 2013 | 8.9% | +15.6% |
| 2014 | 8.6% | -3.9% |
| 2015 | 9.9% | +15.2% |
| 2016 | 10.1% | +2.5% |
| 2017 | 9.8% | -3.6% |
| 2018 | 10.1% | +3.5% |
| 2019 | 9.8% | -2.9% |
| 2020 | 10.1% | +3.2% |
| 2021 | 8.1% | -20.6% |
| 2022 | 6.6% | -17.6% |
| 2023 | 5.4% | -18.6% |
| 2024 | 6.4% | +19.0% |
| 2025 | 6.7% | +4.1% |
Korea compared with similar countries
- Korea's 6.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 13.8%, 48% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Korea's 6.7% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9.0%, 75% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in 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 | +110.5% | 7.5% | 15.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.9% | 6.0% | 15.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 9.0% | 7.9% | 10.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.2% | 7.7% | 10.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.2% | 5.4% | 10.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Korea
- 146 Germany 6.9% compare
- 147 Singapore 6.8% compare
- 148 Macau, China 6.8% compare
- 150 Cameroon 6.5% compare
- 151 United Arab Emirates 6.5% compare
- 152 Burkina Faso 6.4% 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, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Korea?
- Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Korea was 6.7% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 15.7% in 1998.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.4% in 2023.
- How does Korea rank for unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24)?
- Korea ranks 149th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 32.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Korea data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, youth total (% of total 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.