Sex ratio South Korea 2000-2072

In 2022, the sex ratio in South Korea was approximately 99.9 men to 100 women. By 2050, it is projected to fall to 99.1 and then increase to 101.1 by 2072. Regarding gender equality, South Korea has struggled to achieve economic and political equality. Fortunately, parity in the country's education and healthcare systems has improved over the years.

Economic and political disparity

While employment opportunities for women in South Korea have improved, they still tend to occupy low-paying jobs and are less likely to advance to higher management roles than men. Women still earn significantly less than men, making the country’s gender pay gap the highest in the OECD. The average monthly salary of South Korean men was over 35 percent higher than women in 2022. Despite adopting a gender quota for proportional representation in the National Assembly election, many South Koreans believe not enough has been done to achieve gender equality in government and politics. Currently, only 19 percent of the National Assembly are women.

Future outlook

In a survey among South Koreans, it was found that approximately 70 percent of women expressed their strong belief in the importance of achieving gender equality. However, the results showed that just over half of the men held a similar viewpoint. This discrepancy suggests that there is an apparent disparity in the perspectives on gender equality between the genders in South Korea.