Inactivity rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+) in South Korea
South Korea: Inactivity rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+) was 35.08 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Inactivity rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in South Korea, 2014–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 35.08 for inactivity rate (current ilo definition - icls19) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 12 years on record.
The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 4.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, inactivity rate (current ilo definition - icls19) in South Korea peaked at 37.19 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 35.08, in 2025.
That places South Korea 52nd out of 71 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Inactivity rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 37.09 | — |
| 2015 | 36.83 | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 36.8 | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 36.52 | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 36.64 | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 36.43 | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 37.19 | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 36.92 | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 35.79 | -3.1% |
| 2023 | 35.4 | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 35.23 | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 35.08 | -0.4% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 35.08 is below the median for high income countries, which is 37.56, 93% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 35.08 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 35.08, 1.0× the median. (9 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 36.72 | 36.43 | 37.09 | 6 |
| 2020s | 35.93 | 35.08 | 37.19 | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More gender data for South Korea
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 4,318 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -3.79 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 46,871 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 46,871 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 0.0957 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 119,025 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 125,732 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 116,471 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 122,813 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 119,098 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is inactivity rate (current ilo definition - icls19) in South Korea?
- Inactivity rate (current ilo definition - icls19) in South Korea was 35.08 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest inactivity rate (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 37.19 in 2020.
- What is the lowest inactivity rate (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.08 in 2025.
- How does South Korea rank for inactivity rate (current ilo definition - icls19)?
- South Korea ranks 52nd out of 71 countries with data for 2025.
- Is inactivity rate (current ilo definition - icls19) rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Inactivity rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series includes only countries for which the 19th ICLS definitions are applied. This indicator conveys the number of persons of working age outside the labour force (that is, not employed or unemployed) expressed as a percentage of the working-age population. For more information, refer to the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database description.