Industry jobs as a share of total employment in South Korea
South Korea: Industry jobs as a share of total employment was 23.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Industry jobs as a share of total employment in South Korea, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 23.4% for industry jobs as a share of total employment in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.2% on the previous year and down 8.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, industry jobs as a share of total employment in South Korea peaked at 37.2% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 23.4%, in 2025.
That places South Korea 52nd 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.
Industry jobs as a share of total employment in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 37.2% | — |
| 1992 | 36.9% | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 35.1% | -4.8% |
| 1994 | 34.7% | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 34.5% | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 33.7% | -2.4% |
| 1997 | 32.4% | -3.7% |
| 1998 | 29.0% | -10.6% |
| 1999 | 28.5% | -1.6% |
| 2000 | 29.1% | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 28.4% | -2.3% |
| 2002 | 28.3% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 28.5% | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 27.9% | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 27.4% | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 26.9% | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 26.5% | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 26.1% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 25.2% | -3.2% |
| 2010 | 25.8% | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 25.6% | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 25.4% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 25.6% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 25.8% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 25.4% | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 25.2% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 25.3% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 25.2% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 24.6% | -2.5% |
| 2020 | 24.6% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 24.6% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 24.5% | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 24.0% | -1.9% |
| 2024 | 23.7% | -1.4% |
| 2025 | 23.4% | -1.2% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 23.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 19.9%, 1.2× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 23.4% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 19.9%, 1.2× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 33.6% | 28.5% | 37.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 27.4% | 25.2% | 29.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.4% | 24.6% | 25.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.1% | 23.4% | 24.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More reference data data for South Korea
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9638 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.9281 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2074 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 4.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 19.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.13 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is industry jobs as a share of total employment in South Korea?
- Industry jobs as a share of total employment in South Korea was 23.4% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest industry jobs as a share of total employment recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 37.2% in 1991.
- What is the lowest industry jobs as a share of total employment recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.4% in 2025.
- How does South Korea rank for industry jobs as a share of total employment?
- South Korea ranks 52nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is industry jobs as a share of total employment rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Industry jobs as a share of total employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Share of total employment working in the industry sector.