South Korea: gender pay gap by occupation 2024

Gender pay gap in South Korea in 2024, by occupation (in million South Korean won)

Characteristic	Women	Men
Managers	9.24	10.89
Professionals and associate professionals	3.44	5.19
Clerical support workers	3.52	4.9
Sales workers	1.89	2.98
Craft and related trades workers	2.67	4.22
Plant and machine operators, and assemblers	2.32	2.98
Service workers	2.56	3.7
Skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers	2.95	3.64
Elementary occupations	2.19	2.72

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Release date

May 2025

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Region

South Korea

Survey time period

2024

Special properties

including fixed salary and overtime payment

Supplementary notes

The classification of occupations is based on the international standard classification of occupations by International Labour Organisation (ILO) but adjusted based on the unique characteristics of South Korea.

1,000 South Korean won equals 0.72 U.S. dollars or 0.64 euros as of May 2025.

Figures have been rounded.

Citation formats

In 2024, the average monthly earnings for male managers in South Korea were approximately 10.89 million South Korean won, while female managers earned around 9.24 million won. Overall, there was a pronounced gender gap in monthly salaries for South Korean employees across all occupation types.

The gender pay gap in South Korea

Despite a notable increase in women's participation in the labor market, progress in narrowing the gender pay gap has been slow. In 2022, South Korea had the widest gender pay gap among countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), with women earning only about 69 percent of men's wages. This pay gap impacts women across various employment types and all age groups, with those in their 50s being the most affected.

Gender inequality and public perception

Gender inequality has remained a persistent issue in South Korean society, despite governmental efforts to tackle it. A recent survey revealed that discrimination against women is most widely perceived in the workplace. Interestingly, there were significant differences in how men and women viewed gender inequality in South Korea. Nearly 75 percent of women believed that South Korean society treats women unfairly, while less than 20 percent of men shared this perspective. Conversely, approximately 52 percent of men felt that men were treated unfairly.