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South Korea’s average working hours fell 32 hours to 1,833 in 2025 but stayed 97 hours above OECD average
South Korea recorded 1,833 average annual working hours in 2025, down from 1,865 the prior year. The total remained 97 hours above the 36-nation OECD average of 1,736 hours. The government has set a 1,700-hour target for 2030.
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South Korea's average annual working hours declined to 1,833 in 2025, a drop of 32 hours from 1,865 hours in 2024, Yonhap reported July 5. The figure stayed 97 hours above the average of 1,736 hours across 36 OECD member states with available data. South Korea ranked sixth among those 36 nations.
Mexico recorded the highest total at 2,205 hours, followed by Costa Rica, Chile, Greece and Israel. Germany posted the lowest at 1,332 hours. South Korean workers logged 33 hours more than U.S.
The gap with Germany reached 501 hours. The South Korean government has maintained efforts to shorten working time, including the 52-hour workweek system introduced in 2018. It aims to bring the national average down to the 1,700-hour level by 2030.
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