Average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, above primary education in South Korea

South Korea: Average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, above primary education was 40.94 in 2017. ▼ Falling

Latest (2017)
40.94
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
46th
of 82 countries
All-time high
50.27
in 2001
All-time low
12.81
in 2011
Years of data
16
2001–2017

Average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, above primary education in South Korea, 2001–2017

10203040502001200920172001: 50.32002: 48.82003: 47.32004: 50.12005: 48.12007: 46.52008: 14.22009: 13.22010: 132011: 12.82012: 43.42013: 42.42014: 42.42015: 42.32016: 41.12017: 40.9

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

In 2017, average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, above primary education in South Korea stood at 40.94.

That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and down 12.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, above primary education in South Korea peaked at 50.27 in 2001 and was at its lowest, 12.81, in 2011.

South Korea ranks 46th of 82 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 16 years of available data.

Average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, above primary education in South Korea, year by year

Annual values for Average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, above primary education in South Korea, 2001 to 2017.
Year Value Change
2001 50.27 —
2002 48.79 -2.9%
2003 47.34 -3.0%
2004 50.14 +5.9%
2005 48.06 -4.1%
2007 46.5 -3.2%
2008 14.23 -69.4%
2009 13.17 -7.4%
2010 13.02 -1.2%
2011 12.81 -1.6%
2012 43.39 +238.6%
2013 42.36 -2.4%
2014 42.4 +0.1%
2015 42.27 -0.3%
2016 41.09 -2.8%
2017 40.94 -0.4%

South Korea compared with similar countries

  • South Korea's 40.94 is above the median for high income countries, which is 39.26, 1.0× the median. (37 countries reporting)
  • South Korea's 40.94 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 43.23, 95% of the median. (6 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, above primary education in South Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2012 +238.6% 12.81 43.39
2008 -69.4% 46.5 14.23

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 39.81 13.17 50.27 8
2010s 34.79 12.81 43.39 8

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 43 Bulgaria 41.17 compare
  2. 44 Slovenia 41 compare
  3. 45 Nepal 40.99 compare
  4. 47 Croatia 40.61 compare
  5. 48 Luxembourg 40.48 compare
  6. 49 Romania 40.38 compare

See the full ranking of 82 places →

More reference data data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, above primary education in South Korea?
Average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, above primary education in South Korea was 40.94 in 2017, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, above primary education recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 50.27 in 2001.
What is the lowest average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, above primary education recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 12.81 in 2011.
How does South Korea rank for average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, above primary education?
South Korea ranks 46th out of 82 countries with data for 2017.
Is average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, above primary education rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 12.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Korea data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, above primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, above primary education in South Korea. Statizoid. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/average-weekly-working-hours-aged-15-64-above-primary-education/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Average weekly working hours, aged 15-64, above primary education
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
82 places, 1,081 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed