Makrognosis

South Korea Unemployment Rate

MonthlyNot seasonally adjustedCode KR.UNEMP.M.NSA

Latest2.0%October 2026
Previous2.1%September 2026
Year ago2.2%October 2025

South Korea Unemployment Rate was 2.0% in October 2026, down 0.1 percentage points from September 2026 and down 0.2 percentage points from a year earlier.

Among the 53 economies Makrognosis covers on this measure, it is the 3rd lowest.

Over the past ten years it has ranged from 1.9% (Aug 2024) to 5.7% (Jan 2021), averaging 3.3%.

South Korea Unemployment Rate (%), Jan 2014 – Oct 20261%2%3%4%5%6%2014201620182020202220242026Robomacro
South Korea Unemployment Rate (%), Jan 2014 – Oct 2026. Source: KOSIS Korea Statistical Information Service Economy Dashboard.

Showing the full history (downsampled for display). Open the interactive chart to zoom and switch transforms.

Recent data

PeriodValue
October 20262.0%
September 20262.1%
August 20262.0%
July 20262.6%
June 20262.8%
May 20262.9%
April 20262.9%
March 20263.0%
February 20263.4%
January 20264.1%
December 20254.1%
November 20252.2%
October 20252.2%
September 20252.1%
August 20252.0%
July 20252.4%
June 20252.8%
May 20252.8%
April 20252.9%
March 20253.1%
February 20253.2%
January 20253.7%
December 20243.8%
November 20242.2%

Last 24 observations. The full history (154 observations) is available through the API.

Get South Korea Unemployment Rate in your code or spreadsheet

One guessable code, agency-direct, updated on release. Free tier available.

curl -H "X-API-Key: $MAKROGNOSIS_KEY" \
  "https://makrognosis.robomacro.com/v1/series/KR.UNEMP.M.NSA"

# Python
import requests
r = requests.get("https://makrognosis.robomacro.com/v1/series/KR.UNEMP.M.NSA",
                 headers={"X-API-Key": KEY})
obs = r.json()["observations"]
Get a free API key → · API docs

About this series

Latest observationOctober 2026
First observationJanuary 2014
Observations154
FrequencyMonthly
Units%
AdjustmentNot seasonally adjusted
10-year high5.7% (Jan 2021)
10-year low1.9% (Aug 2024)
10-year average3.3%
Source agencyKOSIS Korea Statistical Information Service Economy Dashboard
Makrognosis codeKR.UNEMP.M.NSA

Unemployment Rate: how South Korea compares

#EconomyPeriodLatest
1South AfricaSep 202633.7%
2FinlandSep 202611.0%
3North MacedoniaSep 202610.7%
4SpainSep 202610.3%
5ChileSep 20269.8%
42MaltaSep 20263.4%
43PolandSep 20263.4%
44TaiwanSep 20263.4%
45DenmarkSep 20263.1%
46MalaysiaSep 20263.0%
47MexicoSep 20262.8%
48Czech RepublicSep 20262.8%
49JapanSep 20262.4%
50RussiaJan 20252.1%
51South KoreaOct 20262.0%
52SingaporeJul 20262.0%
53ThailandSep 20260.9%

Unemployment Rate by country: all 53 economies ranked →

Other South Korea indicators

South Korea GDP (Gross Domestic Product)South Korea Korea: GDP at market prices, SA, current prices (BOK ECOS)South Korea Inflation Rate (CPI)South Korea Core Inflation RateSouth Korea 10-Year Government Bond YieldSouth Korea Credit Rating & Sovereign Risk ScoreSouth Korea Industrial ProductionSouth Korea Korea industrial production index, original (not seasonally adjusted), 2020=100 (KOSTAT via BOK ECOS)South Korea Producer Price Inflation (PPI)South Korea Korea: Current Account, monthly, NSA (BOK ECOS, USD mn)South Korea Korea: Current Account, monthly, SA (BOK ECOS, USD mn)South Korea Korea: Exports of Goods (Korea Customs Service final, BOK ECOS 901Y092 E100; thousand USD x 0.001 = USD mn)South Korea Korea: Imports of Goods (Korea Customs Service final, BOK ECOS 901Y092 I100; thousand USD x 0.001 = USD mn)South Korea Korea consumer sentiment index (KOSTAT via BOK ECOS 511Y002 FME 99988)South Korea M2 Money StockSouth Korea Capacity Utilization

FAQ

What is the current unemployment Rate in South Korea?
The latest reading is 2.0% for October 2026, published by KOSIS Korea Statistical Information Service Economy Dashboard.
Where does this data come from?
It is collected directly from KOSIS Korea Statistical Information Service Economy Dashboard and is available through the Makrognosis API under the code KR.UNEMP.M.NSA.

Last updated 2026-11-11. Source: KOSIS Korea Statistical Information Service Economy Dashboard. Original title: “Korea: Unemployment Rate (KOSTAT EAPS, monthly, %)”.