Key facts
- South Korea's average annual working hours decreased by 32 hours in 2025.
- The 2025 average working hours in South Korea were 1,833.
- This figure is 97 hours longer than the OECD average of 1,736 hours.
- South Korea ranked sixth among OECD nations for working hours.
- Mexico recorded the highest working hours at 2,205.
- Germany had the shortest working hours at 1,332.
South Korea's average annual working hours decreased by 32 hours in 2025 compared to the previous year, reaching 1,833 hours. Despite this reduction, the country's working hours remain significantly longer than the average for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) as a whole, which stood at 1,736 hours for 36 member states where data was available.
The decline in working hours is attributed to ongoing government efforts to reduce actual work time, including the implementation of the 52-hour workweek system in 2018. However, South Korea's 2025 average of 1,833 hours was still 97 hours above the OECD average.
Among OECD nations, South Korea ranked sixth in terms of working hours. Mexico recorded the highest average at 2,205 hours, followed by Costa Rica, Chile, Greece, and Israel. In comparison, South Koreans worked 33 hours more than U.S. workers and 235 hours more than Japanese workers. Germany reported the shortest working hours among OECD member nations at 1,332 hours.
The South Korean government has set a goal to reduce average yearly working hours to around 1,700 hours by 2030.