Korea, Dem. People's Rep. — Labor participation
Labor Force Participation Rate for Korea, Dem. People's Rep., 1990–2025.
Labor participation for Korea, Dem. People's Rep. was 82.15% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 36 years, from 1990 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 82.30% in 1998. The lowest was 80.62% in 2020 (about 1.0× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.02% per year.
Korea, Dem. People's Rep. ranks 7 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 4%. The median for East Asia & Pacific is 64.35%, so Korea, Dem. People's Rep. sits above it. It peaked in 1998 and has fallen 0% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved up 0%. Within East Asia & Pacific it ranks 3 of 29 economies; Viet Nam (72.78%) is just below it.
Data highlights
World ranking. Climbed: 11th of 187 in 1990 → 8th of 187 in 2000 → 7th of 187 in 2010 → 6th of 187 in 2020 → 7th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1990 to 2025
| Year | % of population ages 15+ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 82.15% | -0.0 pp |
| 2024 | 82.16% | +0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 82.16% | +0.0 pp |
| 2022 | 82.15% | +1.4 pp |
| 2021 | 80.71% | +0.1 pp |
| 2020 | 80.62% | -1.6 pp |
| 2019 | 82.18% | +0.0 pp |
| 2018 | 82.18% | +0.1 pp |
| 2017 | 82.09% | +0.1 pp |
| 2016 | 82.02% | -0.1 pp |
| 2015 | 82.08% | +0.0 pp |
| 2014 | 82.05% | -0.0 pp |
| 2013 | 82.06% | -0.0 pp |
| 2012 | 82.07% | -0.0 pp |
| 2011 | 82.09% | -0.0 pp |
| 2010 | 82.09% | +0.0 pp |
| 2009 | 82.08% | +0.0 pp |
| 2008 | 82.05% | -0.0 pp |
| 2007 | 82.1% | +0.0 pp |
| 2006 | 82.07% | +0.0 pp |
| 2005 | 82.04% | -0.1 pp |
| 2004 | 82.1% | -0.0 pp |
| 2003 | 82.12% | -0.0 pp |
| 2002 | 82.14% | -0.0 pp |
| 2001 | 82.16% | -0.1 pp |
| 2000 | 82.21% | +0.0 pp |
| 1999 | 82.21% | -0.1 pp |
| 1998 | 82.3% | +0.0 pp |
| 1997 | 82.27% | +0.1 pp |
| 1996 | 82.13% | +0.1 pp |
| 1995 | 82.05% | +0.1 pp |
| 1994 | 81.94% | +0.1 pp |
| 1993 | 81.88% | +0.1 pp |
| 1992 | 81.77% | +0.2 pp |
| 1991 | 81.6% | +0.1 pp |
| 1990 | 81.49% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Korea, Dem. People's Rep.’s Labor participation in 1991?
81.6% (1991). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of population ages 15+, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Korea, Dem. People's Rep.’s Labor participation growing or shrinking?
Between 1990 and 2025 the series was growing overall: +0.8% in total.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SL.TLF.CACT.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2025: 82.15%; 2024: 82.16%; 2023: 82.16%; 2022: 82.15%; 2021: 80.71%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SL.TLF.CACT.ZS — Labor Force Participation Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.