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Korea, Rep. — Labor participation
Labor Force Participation Rate for Korea, Rep., 1990–2025.
Latest value · 2025
64.35%
Labor Force Participation Rate · % of population ages 15+ · +8.4% since 1990
Labor participation for Korea, Rep. was 64.35% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 36 years, from 1990 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 64.47% in 2024. The lowest was 59.38% in 1990 (about 1.1× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.23% per year.
Korea, Rep. ranks 71 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 38%. The median for East Asia & Pacific is 64.35%, so Korea, Rep. sits level with it. It peaked in 2024 and has fallen 0% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved up 3%.
Key figures
Latest (2025)
64.35%
First (1990)
59.38%
Change
+8.4%
Highest
64.47%
in 2024
Lowest
59.38%
in 1990
Average
61.66%
Annual growth (CAGR)
0.23%
Years of data
36
Recent years
| Year | % of population ages 15+ |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 64.35% |
| 2024 | 64.47% |
| 2023 | 64.27% |
| 2022 | 63.79% |
| 2021 | 62.55% |
| 2020 | 62.27% |
| 2019 | 62.99% |
| 2018 | 62.76% |
| 2017 | 62.91% |
| 2016 | 62.63% |
| 2015 | 62.58% |
| 2014 | 62.28% |
Reading this correctly. Proportion of the population aged 15 and above that is economically active: supplying labor for the production of goods and services. Figures are in % of population ages 15+. 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.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.