Labor force, female in North Korea
North Korea: Labor force, female was 8.52 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force, female in North Korea, 1990–2025
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on data obtained from International Labour Organization and United Nations Population Division.
Analysis
In 2025, labor force, female in North Korea stood at 8.52 million. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 4.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force, female in North Korea peaked at 8.52 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 6.24 million, in 1990.
That places North Korea 34th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.70 million | 6.24 million | 7.07 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.45 million | 7.14 million | 7.79 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.14 million | 7.87 million | 8.39 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.42 million | 8.26 million | 8.52 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More gender data for North Korea
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 162,142 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 171,689 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 163,466 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 172,928 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 164,613 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, male, interpolated 173,969 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, female, interpolated 165,947 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, male, interpolated 175,324 (2025)
- Age population, age 04, female, interpolated 166,755 (2025)
- Age population, age 04, male, interpolated 176,128 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force, female in North Korea?
- Labor force, female in North Korea was 8.52 million in 2025, according to World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on data obtained from International Labour Organization and United Nations Population Division.
- What is the highest labor force, female recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 8.52 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest labor force, female recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.24 million in 1990.
- How does North Korea rank for labor force, female?
- North Korea ranks 34th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force, female rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on data obtained from International Labour Organization and United Nations Population Division, published as part of Labor force, female. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Female labor force comprises women ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. It includes people who are currently employed and people who are unemployed but seeking work as well as first-time job-seekers. Not everyone who works is included, however. Unpaid workers, family workers, and students are often omitted, and some countries do not count members of the armed forces. Labor force size tends to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave.