Unemployment rate,Percent in South Korea

South Korea: Unemployment rate,Percent was 3.0% in 2026. ▼ Falling

Latest (2026)
3.0%
Change on year
up 5.7%
World rank
61st
of 71 countries
All-time high
4.4%
in 2000
All-time low
2.7%
in 2023
Years of data
27
2000–2026

Unemployment rate,Percent in South Korea, 2000–2026

012342000201320262000: 4.42001: 42002: 3.22003: 3.62004: 3.62005: 3.72006: 3.52007: 3.22008: 3.22009: 3.62010: 3.72011: 3.42012: 3.22013: 3.12014: 3.52015: 3.62016: 3.72017: 3.72018: 3.92019: 3.82020: 42021: 3.62022: 2.92023: 2.72024: 2.82025: 2.82026: 3

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

South Korea recorded 3.0% for unemployment rate,percent in 2026.

That represents a change of up 5.7% on the previous year and down 19.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, unemployment rate,percent in South Korea peaked at 4.4% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 2.7%, in 2023.

South Korea ranks 61st of 71 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 3.6% 3.2% 4.4% 10
2010s 3.6% 3.1% 3.9% 10
2020s 3.1% 2.7% 4.0% 7

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 58 Romania 3.3% compare
  2. 59 Israel 3.0% compare
  3. 60 Switzerland 3.0% compare
  4. 62 Malta 2.9% compare
  5. 63 Denmark 2.9% compare
  6. 64 Czechia 2.9% compare

See the full ranking of 80 places →

More reference data data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is unemployment rate,percent in South Korea?
Unemployment rate,percent in South Korea was 3.0% in 2026, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest unemployment rate,percent recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 4.4% in 2000.
What is the lowest unemployment rate,percent recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 2.7% in 2023.
How does South Korea rank for unemployment rate,percent?
South Korea ranks 61st out of 71 countries with data for 2026.
Is unemployment rate,percent rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 19.9%. 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 Unemployment rate,Percent,,,. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Unemployment rate,Percent,,,
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
80 places, 2,196 data points, 1990–2026
Last refreshed