Korea, Rep.: Labor force with basic education (% of total working-age population with basic education)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Korea, Rep.'s labor force with basic education (% of total working-age population with basic education) fell 0.67 percentage points on 2024 (from 44.32% to 43.65%).

Across the 24 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2024), the average change was −0.88 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.81 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.15 percentage points in 2019 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.29 percentage points in 2003. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.59 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 97% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 41.98% for 2028. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2023 to 2025 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 0.29%, against 1.42% for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2025, Korea, Rep. had the 12th highest value of the 17 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Korea, Rep. in the 2025 ranking

• Costa Rica — 9th of 17: 49.95%
• Spain — 10th of 17: 45.86%
• West Bank and Gaza — 11th of 17: 44.13%
• United States — 13th of 17: 42.83%
• Portugal — 14th of 17: 41.59%
• Chile — 15th of 17: 41.13%

What this measures

The ratio of the labor force with basic education to the working-age population with basic education. Basic education comprises primary education or lower secondary education according to the International Standard Classification of Education 2011 (ISCED 2011).

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 26 values

Labor force with basic education (% of total working-age population with basic education) in nearby economies

• Australia — 41.33% (2024)
• Cambodia — 80.27% (2023)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 35.77% (2024)
• Indonesia — 63.48% (2023)
• Malaysia — 63.15% (2022)
• Mongolia — 41.92% (2024)
• Philippines — 58.83% (2023)
• Thailand

More social protection & labor data for Korea, Rep.

• Net migration — 65,731 (2025)
• Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) — 2.79% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (national estimate) — 57.31% (2025)
• Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) (national estimate) — 78.79% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) (national estimate) — 72.74% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) (national estimate) — 64.92% (2025)
• Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) — 2.74% (2025)
• Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Korea, Rep.'s labor force with basic education (% of total working-age population with basic education)?

43.65% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.TLF.BASC.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: March 30, 2026 Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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