Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of: Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) was 37.9% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 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 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of peaked at 39.7% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 37.3%, in 2020.
That places Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 145th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, 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% |
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of compared with similar countries
- Korea, Democratic People's Republic of's 37.9% is above the median for low income countries, which is 19.5%, 1.9× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Korea, Democratic People's Republic of'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 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
More work & labour data for Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
- 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 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 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 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- The highest recorded value was 39.7% in 1991.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.3% in 2020.
- How does Korea, Democratic People's Republic of rank for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment)?
- Korea, Democratic People's Republic of ranks 145th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 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.