Productivity vs annual hours worked in South Korea
South Korea: Productivity vs annual hours worked was 1,910 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1,910
Change on year
up 1.6%
World rank
73rd
of 129 countries
All-time high
3,040
in 1969
All-time low
1,881
in 2022
Years of data
71
1953–2023
Productivity vs annual hours worked in South Korea, 1953–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 1,910 for productivity vs annual hours worked in 2023.
The figure is up 1.6% on the previous year and down 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, productivity vs annual hours worked in South Korea peaked at 3,040 in 1969 and was at its lowest, 1,881, in 2022.
That places South Korea 73rd out of 129 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 71 years of available data.
Productivity vs annual hours worked in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1953 | 2,484 | — |
| 1954 | 2,521 | +1.5% |
| 1955 | 2,557 | +1.5% |
| 1956 | 2,595 | +1.5% |
| 1957 | 2,632 | +1.5% |
| 1958 | 2,671 | +1.5% |
| 1959 | 2,709 | +1.5% |
| 1960 | 2,749 | +1.5% |
| 1961 | 2,789 | +1.5% |
| 1962 | 2,829 | +1.5% |
| 1963 | 2,871 | +1.5% |
| 1964 | 2,780 | -3.2% |
| 1965 | 2,901 | +4.3% |
| 1966 | 2,883 | -0.6% |
| 1967 | 2,919 | +1.3% |
| 1968 | 2,973 | +1.9% |
| 1969 | 3,040 | +2.2% |
| 1970 | 2,919 | -4.0% |
| 1971 | 2,913 | -0.2% |
| 1972 | 2,907 | -0.2% |
| 1973 | 2,901 | -0.2% |
| 1974 | 2,896 | -0.2% |
| 1975 | 2,890 | -0.2% |
| 1976 | 2,884 | -0.2% |
| 1977 | 2,878 | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 2,873 | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 2,867 | -0.2% |
| 1980 | 2,861 | -0.2% |
| 1981 | 2,877 | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 2,890 | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 2,908 | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 2,904 | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 2,879 | -0.9% |
| 1986 | 2,908 | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 2,877 | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 2,831 | -1.6% |
| 1989 | 2,728 | -3.6% |
| 1990 | 2,674 | -2.0% |
| 1991 | 2,658 | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 2,636 | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 2,653 | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 2,637 | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 2,645 | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 2,634 | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 2,579 | -2.1% |
| 1998 | 2,485 | -3.6% |
| 1999 | 2,492 | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 2,509 | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 2,496 | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 2,461 | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 2,421 | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 2,389 | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 2,348 | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 2,344 | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 2,304 | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 2,217 | -3.8% |
| 2009 | 2,167 | -2.2% |
| 2010 | 2,153 | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 2,126 | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 2,110 | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 2,100 | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 2,070 | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 2,077 | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 2,062 | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 2,012 | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 1,988 | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 1,963 | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 1,904 | -3.0% |
| 2021 | 1,912 | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 1,881 | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 1,910 | +1.6% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 1,910 is above the median for high income countries, which is 1,685, 1.1× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 1,910 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2,169, 88% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2,596 | 2,484 | 2,709 | 7 |
| 1960s | 2,873 | 2,749 | 3,040 | 10 |
| 1970s | 2,893 | 2,867 | 2,919 | 10 |
| 1980s | 2,866 | 2,728 | 2,908 | 10 |
| 1990s | 2,610 | 2,485 | 2,674 | 10 |
| 2000s | 2,366 | 2,167 | 2,509 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,066 | 1,963 | 2,153 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,902 | 1,881 | 1,912 | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More economy & growth data for South Korea
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate -49.75 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 7.89 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0085 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 307.17 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate 2.74 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0062 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 224.29 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 4.58 % change on previous year (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0047 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, per capita 168.75 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is productivity vs annual hours worked in South Korea?
- Productivity vs annual hours worked in South Korea was 1,910 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest productivity vs annual hours worked recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 3,040 in 1969.
- What is the lowest productivity vs annual hours worked recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,881 in 2022.
- How does South Korea rank for productivity vs annual hours worked?
- South Korea ranks 73rd out of 129 countries with data for 2023.
- Is productivity vs annual hours worked rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Productivity vs annual hours worked. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 71 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).