Labour force participation in North Korea
The ILO estimates that 82.2% of people aged 15 and over in North Korea were in the labour force in 2025.
North Korea, 2025
82.2%
Change from 2024
0percentage points
World, 2025
60.8%
Position in 2025
7th of 181
Labour force participation in North Korea over time
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North Korea
World
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The chart loads when you scroll to it. The table below shows the same data.
The chart shows a calculation from the published values. The table below keeps the published values.
% of working-age population aged 15 and over. Source: ILO, ILOSTAT (ILO Modelled Estimates). Gaps mean no published value; points are not joined across missing years. Dashed lines are projections.
| Period | North Korea | World |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 82.2% | 60.8% |
| 2024 | 82.2% | 61.0% |
| 2023 | 82.2% | 61.0% |
| 2022 | 82.1% | 60.7% |
| 2021 | 80.7% | 60.4% |
| 2020 | 80.6% | 59.7% |
| 2019 | 82.2% | 61.0% |
| 2018 | 82.2% | 61.2% |
| 2017 | 82.1% | 61.3% |
| 2016 | 82.0% | 61.5% |
Flags: f Projection . A dash means no value was published.
In short
- That is a change of 0 percentage points from 82.2% in 2024.
- Since 2015, when it was 82.1%, the figure has changed by +0.1 percentage points.
- Among the 181 countries with data for 2025, North Korea has the 7th highest value.
- The figure for the world in 2025 was 60.8%.
More for North Korea
All statistics for North Korea
Women's labour force participation
77.7%
2025 · ILOSTAT
Employment-to-population ratio
79.2%
2025 · ILOSTAT
ILO estimate of the unemployment rate
3.5%
2025 · ILOSTAT
ILO estimate of youth unemployment
7.9%
2025 · ILOSTAT
Employment in agriculture
54.1%
2025 · World Bank
Employment in industry
22.4%
2025 · World Bank