Annual working hours vs. productivity in South Korea
South Korea: Annual working hours vs. productivity was 1,910 hours per worker in 2023. ▼ Falling
Annual working hours vs. productivity in South Korea, 1953–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hours per worker.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 1,910 hours per worker for annual working hours vs. productivity in 2023.
The figure is up 1.6% on the previous year and down 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual working hours vs. productivity in South Korea peaked at 3,040 hours per worker in 1969 and was at its lowest, 1,881 hours per worker, 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2,596 hours per worker | 2,484 hours per worker | 2,709 hours per worker | 7 |
| 1960s | 2,873 hours per worker | 2,749 hours per worker | 3,040 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1970s | 2,893 hours per worker | 2,867 hours per worker | 2,919 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1980s | 2,866 hours per worker | 2,728 hours per worker | 2,908 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1990s | 2,610 hours per worker | 2,485 hours per worker | 2,674 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2000s | 2,366 hours per worker | 2,167 hours per worker | 2,509 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,066 hours per worker | 1,963 hours per worker | 2,153 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,902 hours per worker | 1,881 hours per worker | 1,912 hours per worker | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More economy & growth data for South Korea
- Industry (including construction), value added 914.33 trillion current LCU (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure 1.8% (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added 0.2% (2025)
- Final consumption expenditure 65.7% (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added 660.05 billion constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- Gross national expenditure 1.78 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Gross national expenditure 2,524.87 trillion current LCU (2025)
- Gross national expenditure 1.78 trillion constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added 642.79 billion current US$ (2025)
- Exports of goods and services 4.2% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual working hours vs. productivity in South Korea?
- Annual working hours vs. productivity in South Korea was 1,910 hours per worker in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual working hours vs. productivity recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 3,040 hours per worker in 1969.
- What is the lowest annual working hours vs. productivity recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,881 hours per worker in 2022.
- How does South Korea rank for annual working hours vs. productivity?
- South Korea ranks 73rd out of 129 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual working hours vs. productivity 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 Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual working hours vs. productivity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 71 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
This is the average sum of hours worked by employees and self-employed people during each year in a country.