Labor force, female in South Korea
South Korea: Labor force, female was 13.25 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force, female in South 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
The most recent figure for labor force, female in South Korea is 13.25 million, measured in 2025. 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 14.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force, female in South Korea peaked at 13.25 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 7.46 million, in 1990.
That places South Korea 21st 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 | 8.16 million | 7.46 million | 8.85 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.69 million | 9.08 million | 10.11 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.29 million | 10.23 million | 12.24 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.76 million | 12.16 million | 13.25 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More gender data for South Korea
- 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)
- Age population, age 04, female, interpolated 128,342 (2025)
- Age population, age 04, male, interpolated 135,145 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force, female in South Korea?
- Labor force, female in South Korea was 13.25 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 South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 13.25 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest labor force, female recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.46 million in 1990.
- How does South Korea rank for labor force, female?
- South Korea ranks 21st out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force, female rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South 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.