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Korea, Dem. People's Rep. — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Korea, Dem. People's Rep., 1991–2025.
Latest value · 2025
3.54%
Unemployment Rate · % of total labor force · +24.6% since 1991
Unemployment for Korea, Dem. People's Rep. was 3.54% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 3.69% in 2021. The lowest was 2.85% in 1991 (about 1.2× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.65% per year.
Korea, Dem. People's Rep. ranks 128 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 68%. The median for East Asia & Pacific is 3.05%, so Korea, Dem. People's Rep. sits above it. It peaked in 2021 and has fallen 4% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved up 1%.
Key figures
Latest (2025)
3.54%
First (1991)
2.85%
Change
+24.6%
Highest
3.69%
in 2021
Lowest
2.85%
in 1991
Average
3.45%
Annual growth (CAGR)
0.65%
Years of data
35
Recent years
| Year | % of total labor force |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 3.55% |
| 2024 | 3.54% |
| 2023 | 3.46% |
| 2022 | 3.46% |
| 2021 | 3.69% |
| 2020 | 3.62% |
| 2019 | 3.44% |
| 2018 | 3.41% |
| 2017 | 3.5% |
| 2016 | 3.57% |
| 2015 | 3.52% |
| 2014 | 3.51% |
Reading this correctly. Share of the labor force without work but available for and seeking employment. National definitions differ, so cross-country comparison needs care. Figures are in % of total labor force. Comparing this series with a different measure of the same concept (for example a nominal figure against a purchasing-power-parity figure) will give misleading results.
Related data
Source. World Bank Open Data, indicator
SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS — Unemployment 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.