Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO) in North Korea
North Korea: Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO) was 37.9% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in North Korea, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
North Korea recorded 37.9% for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in 2025.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and down 1.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in North Korea peaked at 39.7% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 37.3%, in 2020.
That places North Korea 145th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO) in North Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 39.7% | — |
| 1992 | 39.4% | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 39.1% | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 38.8% | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 38.5% | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 38.2% | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 37.9% | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 37.7% | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 37.7% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 37.7% | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 37.7% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 37.8% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 37.9% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 38.0% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 38.2% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 38.3% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 38.3% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 38.4% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 38.4% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 38.4% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 38.4% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 38.4% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 38.5% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 38.5% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 38.5% | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 38.5% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 38.5% | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 38.4% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 38.4% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 37.3% | -2.9% |
| 2021 | 37.8% | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 37.7% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 37.8% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 37.9% | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 37.9% | +0.2% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 37.9% is above the median for low income countries, which is 19.5%, 1.9× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 37.9% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 62.3%, 61% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 38.6% | 37.7% | 39.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 38.1% | 37.7% | 38.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.4% | 38.4% | 38.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.7% | 37.3% | 37.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More work & labour data for North Korea
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 82.13 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 17,790 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 3,871 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 3.56 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 0.555 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 0.3313 % change on previous year (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 3,086 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.2604 % change on previous year (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 79.21 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 931.04 (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in North Korea?
- Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in North Korea was 37.9% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 39.7% in 1991.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.3% in 2020.
- How does North Korea rank for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment)?
- North Korea ranks 145th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Wage and salaried workers (employees) are those workers who hold the type of jobs defined as "paid employment jobs," where the incumbents hold explicit (written or oral) or implicit employment contracts that give them a basic remuneration that is not directly dependent upon the revenue of the unit for which they work.