Vulnerable employment, total (% of total employment) in Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea: Vulnerable employment, total (% of total employment) was 17.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Vulnerable employment, total (% of total employment) in Republic of Korea, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Republic of Korea recorded 17.7% for vulnerable employment, total (% of total employment) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 10.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, vulnerable employment, total (% of total employment) in Republic of Korea peaked at 29.0% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 17.7%, in 2025.
Republic of Korea ranks 126th of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Vulnerable employment, total (% of total employment) in Republic of Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 29.0% | — |
| 1992 | 28.6% | -1.5% |
| 1993 | 28.2% | -1.5% |
| 1994 | 27.7% | -1.5% |
| 1995 | 27.3% | -1.6% |
| 1996 | 26.9% | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 26.6% | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 26.4% | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 26.2% | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 25.9% | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 25.7% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 25.4% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 24.6% | -3.1% |
| 2004 | 24.2% | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 24.0% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 23.6% | -1.7% |
| 2007 | 23.2% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 22.9% | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 21.9% | -4.5% |
| 2010 | 21.2% | -3.1% |
| 2011 | 20.9% | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 20.8% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 20.4% | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 19.8% | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 19.7% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 19.5% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 19.4% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 19.0% | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 19.0% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 19.3% | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 19.1% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 18.6% | -2.7% |
| 2023 | 18.2% | -2.2% |
| 2024 | 17.9% | -1.9% |
| 2025 | 17.7% | -0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 27.4% | 26.2% | 29.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 24.2% | 21.9% | 25.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.0% | 19.0% | 21.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.5% | 17.7% | 19.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Korea
More work & labour data for Republic of 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 vulnerable employment, total (% of total employment) in Republic of Korea?
- Vulnerable employment, total (% of total employment) in Republic of Korea was 17.7% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest vulnerable employment, total (% of total employment) recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 29.0% in 1991.
- What is the lowest vulnerable employment, total (% of total employment) recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.7% in 2025.
- How does Republic of Korea rank for vulnerable employment, total (% of total employment)?
- Republic of Korea ranks 126th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is vulnerable employment, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Republic of Korea data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Vulnerable employment, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Vulnerable employment is contributing family workers and own-account workers as a percentage of total employment.