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MacroSouth Korea

Unemployment rate in South Korea

How hard is it to have a job there?

South Korea's unemployment rate is 2.68 % — #17 of 124 countries on the atlas (lower is better). Period 2025.

2.68%

Checked 8 Sept 2026Period 2025

Source: World Bank open data (GDP growth, GDP/capita, unemployment, government debt)

Unemployment rate in South Korea over time

4.06 %3.37 %2.67 %4.06 % · 20002.67 % · 20232000: 4.06 %2001: 3.70 %2002: 3.05 %2003: 3.35 %2004: 3.42 %2005: 3.48 %2006: 3.25 %2007: 3.01 %2008: 2.96 %2009: 3.36 %2010: 3.32 %2011: 2.99 %2012: 2.81 %2013: 3.07 %2014: 3.08 %2015: 3.55 %2016: 3.65 %2017: 3.65 %2018: 3.82 %2019: 3.75 %2020: 3.93 %2021: 3.64 %2022: 2.86 %2023: 2.67 %2024: 2.78 %2025: 2.68 %2000201220252.68 %
26 official observations, 2000 → 2025. Every point is a published value — never interpolated.
Rank
#17 of 124
lower is better
Ranked behind
86 %
107 of 124 countries
Latest move
▼ 0.10 pp
since 2024
Below its peak
1.38 pp
peak 4.06 % in 2000
Full series
▼ 1.38 pp
since 2000

In Asia: #10 of 36vs median 5.25 %: −2.57 pp (better)

Among 124 countries

6 of 124 countries between 0.78 % and 1.53 %6 of 124 countries between 1.53 % and 2.28 %12 of 124 countries between 2.28 % and 3.03 %16 of 124 countries between 3.03 % and 3.78 %7 of 124 countries between 3.78 % and 4.53 %15 of 124 countries between 4.53 % and 5.28 %14 of 124 countries between 5.28 % and 6.02 %7 of 124 countries between 6.02 % and 6.77 %6 of 124 countries between 6.77 % and 7.52 %2 of 124 countries between 7.52 % and 8.27 %10 of 124 countries between 8.27 % and 9.02 %3 of 124 countries between 9.02 % and 9.77 %3 of 124 countries between 9.77 % and 10.52 %2 of 124 countries between 10.52 % and 11.27 %3 of 124 countries between 11.27 % and 12.02 %1 of 124 countries between 12.02 % and 12.77 %1 of 124 countries between 12.77 % and 13.51 %2 of 124 countries between 13.51 % and 14.26 %1 of 124 countries between 14.26 % and 15.01 %2 of 124 countries between 15.01 % and 15.76 %1 of 124 countries between 16.51 % and 17.26 %4 of 124 countries between 18.01 % and 18.76 %median 5.23 %South Korea: ahead of 86 % of the 124 countries with a published unemploymentSouth Korea 2.68 %0.78 %18.76 %
Half of all 124 countries sit between 3.30 % and 8.30 %. South Korea is ahead of 86 % of them. Axis trimmed to the 2nd–98th percentile; 5 values beyond it sit in the end bars.

The neighbourhood

#CountryUnemploymentvs South Korea
15 Guatemala2.60 %−0.08 pp
16 Mexico2.67 %−0.01 pp
17 South Korea2.68 %—
18 Hong Kong2.80 %+0.12 pp
19 Singapore2.82 %+0.14 pp

Unemployment, share of the labour force (World Bank / ILO estimate).

How to read this figure

Share of the labour force without work but actively seeking it (World Bank / ILO harmonised estimate). People outside the labour force — students, carers, the discouraged — are not counted.

Next, about South Korea

Average monthly salaryGDP growthGDP per capita
Unemployment rate, all countries ranked →Compare South Korea with another country →Everything about South Korea →
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