*Figures up to 1999 refer to persons aged 15 years or older who were without a job and have actively sought employment during the last one week.
An unemployed person is a person aged 15 years or older who was without a job during the survey week but has been actively seeking employment in the past four weeks and is ready to begin work immediately.
In 2024, there were around ** unemployed people in South Korea, a slight increase from the previous year. While the total number of unemployed peaked at almost *** million during the Asian financial crisis in 1998, figures dropped in 2002 before steadily increasing again until 2021.
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Statistics Korea. (April 21, 2025). Number of unemployed people in South Korea from 1990 to 2024 (in 1,000s) [Graph]. In ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Retrieved August 01, 2026, from /statistics/1233050/south-korea-number-of-unemployed-people/
Statistics Korea. "Number of unemployed people in South Korea from 1990 to 2024 (in 1,000s)." Chart. April 21, 2025. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Accessed August 01, 2026. /statistics/1233050/south-korea-number-of-unemployed-people/
Statistics Korea. (2025). Number of unemployed people in South Korea from 1990 to 2024 (in 1,000s). ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc.. Accessed: August 01, 2026. /statistics/1233050/south-korea-number-of-unemployed-people/
Statistics Korea. "Number of Unemployed People in South Korea from 1990 to 2024 (in 1,000s)." ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc., 21 Apr 2025, /statistics/1233050/south-korea-number-of-unemployed-people/
Statistics Korea, Number of unemployed people in South Korea from 1990 to 2024 (in 1,000s) ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, /statistics/1233050/south-korea-number-of-unemployed-people/ (last visited August 01, 2026)
Number of unemployed people in South Korea from 1990 to 2024 (in 1,000s) [Graph], Statistics Korea, April 21, 2025. [Online]. Available: /statistics/1233050/south-korea-number-of-unemployed-people/
