Korean women earn 29% less than men

Despite some progress over the past five years, South Korea continues to record the largest gender wage gap among member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, new data show.

Marking Gender Equality Week, data released by the Korean Women’s Development Institute released gender statistics on Friday, showing that, on average, Korean women earned 29 percent less than men in 2024.

In comparison, the gender wage gap was significantly smaller in other OECD countries, standing at 16.5 percent in Canada, 10.7 percent in Australia and just 7.5 percent in Sweden.

While the pay gap narrowed from 34.1 percent in 2018 to 29.3 percent in 2023, the improvement still leaves Korea at the bottom among OECD economies. The OECD average wage gap in 2023 stood at 11.3 percent, less than half of Korea’s level.

“The fact that Korea’s wage gap decreased more sharply than the OECD average over the past five years is meaningful,” KWDI President Kim Jong-sook said. “But given that the country continues to post the widest disparity, we must improve the quality of women’s employment and work toward building a more gender-equal labor market.”

The imbalance extends beyond wages.

In 2024, 23.8 percent of female workers in Korea were classified as low-wage earners, more than double the proportion of men at 11.1 percent. The OECD average in 2023 showed 17.2 percent of women and 11.5 percent of men earning below two-thirds of the median hourly wage.

Experts warn that these figures reflect systemic inequalities that undermine women’s economic status and reinforce labor market imbalances. Northern and Western European countries, which show relatively small pay gaps, are seen as examples of how policy support and institutional mechanisms can be effective in narrowing disparities, the report noted.

The KWDI emphasized the need for structural reforms, such as enhancing wage transparency, supporting women’s career continuity and boosting quality employment opportunities for women.

The institute publishes its annual Korea Gender Statistics to track and evaluate gender disparities in employment, family policy and social participation.