Inactivity rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea: Inactivity rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) was 35.08 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Inactivity rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Republic of Korea, 2014–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
Republic of 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 Republic of Korea peaked at 37.19 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 35.08, in 2025.
That places Republic of 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) in Republic of 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% |
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 Republic of Korea
More gender data for Republic of 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)
- 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)
- Age population, age 02, male, interpolated 125,514 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, female, interpolated 124,678 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, male, interpolated 131,322 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is inactivity rate (current ilo definition - icls19) in Republic of Korea?
- Inactivity rate (current ilo definition - icls19) in Republic of Korea was 35.08 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest inactivity rate (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 37.19 in 2020.
- What is the lowest inactivity rate (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.08 in 2025.
- How does Republic of Korea rank for inactivity rate (current ilo definition - icls19)?
- Republic of Korea ranks 52nd out of 71 countries with data for 2025.
- Is inactivity rate (current ilo definition - icls19) rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Republic of 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.