Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Korea
Korea: Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas was 5.3% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Korea, 1991–2023
Source: ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Korea is 5.3%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 2.0% on the previous year and down 9.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Korea peaked at 16.4% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 4.9%, in 2017.
Korea ranks 133rd of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 16.4% | — |
| 1992 | 14.0% | -14.3% |
| 1993 | 13.5% | -3.9% |
| 1994 | 12.6% | -6.9% |
| 1995 | 11.8% | -6.3% |
| 1996 | 11.1% | -5.4% |
| 1997 | 10.8% | -3.3% |
| 1998 | 12.0% | +11.6% |
| 1999 | 11.3% | -5.7% |
| 2000 | 11.0% | -3.3% |
| 2001 | 10.4% | -5.1% |
| 2002 | 9.7% | -6.8% |
| 2003 | 9.1% | -6.4% |
| 2004 | 8.3% | -8.5% |
| 2005 | 7.9% | -5.3% |
| 2006 | 7.6% | -4.0% |
| 2007 | 7.2% | -4.2% |
| 2008 | 7.1% | -2.4% |
| 2009 | 6.9% | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 6.5% | -6.0% |
| 2011 | 6.3% | -3.7% |
| 2012 | 6.0% | -3.5% |
| 2013 | 5.9% | -2.5% |
| 2014 | 5.5% | -6.7% |
| 2015 | 5.2% | -4.9% |
| 2016 | 4.9% | -5.6% |
| 2017 | 4.9% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 5.0% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 5.1% | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 5.4% | +4.4% |
| 2021 | 5.3% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 5.4% | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 5.3% | -2.0% |
Korea compared with similar countries
- Korea's 5.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.6%, 2.0× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Korea's 5.3% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 26.1%, 20% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.6% | 10.8% | 16.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 8.5% | 6.9% | 11.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.5% | 4.9% | 6.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.4% | 5.3% | 5.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Korea
More agriculture & rural data for Korea
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 0.2516 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0146 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 530.46 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1591 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1883 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.8% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Korea?
- Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas in Korea was 5.3% in 2023, according to ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 16.4% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas recorded in Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.9% in 2017.
- How does Korea rank for share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas?
- Korea ranks 133rd out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas rising or falling in Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Korea data come from?
- The figures come from ILO via World Bank – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of employment in agriculture vs. share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The share of people employed in agriculture includes working-age people with a job in farming, forestry, fishing, and related activities, including those temporarily absent.