Share of female workers by sector in South Korea
South Korea: Share of female workers by sector was 4.59 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
4.59
Change on year
down 2.5%
World rank
116th
of 186 countries
All-time high
17.7
in 1991
All-time low
4.48
in 2017
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Share of female workers by sector in South Korea, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of female workers by sector in South Korea is 4.59, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 2.5% on the previous year and down 10.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of female workers by sector in South Korea peaked at 17.7 in 1991 and was at its lowest, 4.48, in 2017.
That places South Korea 116th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Share of female workers by sector in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 17.7 | — |
| 1992 | 16.03 | -9.4% |
| 1993 | 15.49 | -3.4% |
| 1994 | 14.37 | -7.2% |
| 1995 | 13.44 | -6.5% |
| 1996 | 12.61 | -6.2% |
| 1997 | 12.22 | -3.1% |
| 1998 | 13.72 | +12.3% |
| 1999 | 12.45 | -9.3% |
| 2000 | 12.24 | -1.7% |
| 2001 | 11.38 | -7.0% |
| 2002 | 10.72 | -5.8% |
| 2003 | 10.04 | -6.3% |
| 2004 | 8.93 | -11.0% |
| 2005 | 8.31 | -7.0% |
| 2006 | 7.96 | -4.2% |
| 2007 | 7.67 | -3.6% |
| 2008 | 7.39 | -3.7% |
| 2009 | 7.06 | -4.4% |
| 2010 | 6.43 | -8.9% |
| 2011 | 6.28 | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 5.92 | -5.8% |
| 2013 | 5.7 | -3.7% |
| 2014 | 5.26 | -7.8% |
| 2015 | 5.11 | -2.9% |
| 2016 | 4.73 | -7.4% |
| 2017 | 4.48 | -5.3% |
| 2018 | 4.75 | +6.1% |
| 2019 | 4.84 | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 4.94 | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 4.79 | -3.0% |
| 2022 | 4.88 | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 4.75 | -2.8% |
| 2024 | 4.71 | -0.9% |
| 2025 | 4.59 | -2.5% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 4.59 is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.26, 3.6× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 4.59 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 15.42, 30% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 14.23 | 12.22 | 17.7 | 9 |
| 2000s | 9.17 | 7.06 | 12.24 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.35 | 4.48 | 6.43 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.78 | 4.59 | 4.94 | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 113 Cape Verde 4.94 compare
- 114 Poland 4.82 compare
- 115 Malaysia 4.7 compare
- 117 El Salvador 4.53 compare
- 118 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4.5 compare
- 119 Mexico 4.47 compare
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 share of female workers by sector in South Korea?
- Share of female workers by sector in South Korea was 4.59 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of female workers by sector recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 17.7 in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of female workers by sector recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.48 in 2017.
- How does South Korea rank for share of female workers by sector?
- South Korea ranks 116th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of female workers by sector rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of female workers by sector. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).