South Korea Unemployment Rate (ILO, % of Labor Force) (2025)
South Korea's Unemployment Rate (ILO, % of Labor Force): 2.7 % of labor force (ILO methodology) in 2025, -0.1pp YoY.
South Korea (2025)
2.7
% of labor force (ILO methodology)
-0.1pp YoY
YoY Change
-0.1pp
percentage points
Trend
down
Series length
35
years of data
Data
| Year | % of labor force (ILO methodology) | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.7 | -0.1pp |
| 2024 | 2.8 | +0.1pp |
| 2023 | 2.7 | -0.2pp |
| 2022 | 2.9 | -0.7pp |
| 2021 | 3.6 | -0.3pp |
| 2020 | 3.9 | +0.2pp |
| 2019 | 3.7 | -0.1pp |
| 2018 | 3.8 | +0.1pp |
| 2017 | 3.7 | +0.1pp |
| 2016 | 3.6 | +0.1pp |
| 2015 | 3.5 | +0.4pp |
| 2014 | 3.1 | unchanged |
| 2013 | 3.1 | +0.3pp |
| 2012 | 2.8 | -0.2pp |
| 2011 | 3 | -0.3pp |
| 2010 | 3.3 | -0.1pp |
| 2009 | 3.4 | +0.4pp |
| 2008 | 3 | unchanged |
| 2007 | 3 | -0.3pp |
| 2006 | 3.3 | -0.2pp |
About this Dataset
South Korea recorded 2.7 % of labor force (ILO methodology) in 2025. The latest change was -0.1pp. Across 1991–2025 the series ranges from 2 in 1996 to 7 in 1998.
This page tracks the unemployment rate (ILO methodology) in South Korea from 1990 to present. ILO-consistent unemployment allows direct cross-country comparison of labour market slack on a standardised basis.
Data sourced from World Bank via Open Data API. Values use World Bank standardised methodology intended for cross-country comparison.
Frequently Asked Questions
This page tracks the unemployment rate (ILO methodology) in South Korea from 1990 to present. ILO-consistent unemployment allows direct cross-country comparison of labour market slack on a standardised basis. It is published by World Bank and updated annually.
The most recent observation covers 2025. World Bank typically publishes this series with a lag of several months after the reference period. The series runs 1991–2025 (35 observations).
The series peaked at 7 % of labor force (ILO methodology) in 1998 and reached its lowest recorded value of 2 in 1996. The latest reading of 2.7 in 2025 represents a change of -0.1pp.