Share of female business owners (% of total business owners) in South Korea
South Korea: Share of female business owners (% of total business owners) was 26.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of female business owners in South Korea, 2014–2023
Source: World Bank's Entrepreneurship Survey and database (https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/entrepreneurship). Downloaded on May 2, 2026. Measured in % of total business owners.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 26.9% for share of female business owners in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.7% on the previous year and up 15.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of female business owners in South Korea peaked at 27.6% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 23.3%, in 2014.
South Korea ranks 32nd of 72 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Share of female business owners (% of total business owners) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % of total business owners | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 23.3% | — |
| 2015 | 23.7% | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 24.0% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 27.6% | +15.2% |
| 2023 | 26.9% | -2.7% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 26.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 25.5%, 1.1× the median. (21 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 26.9% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 31.0%, 87% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 23.7% | 23.3% | 24.0% | 3 |
| 2020s | 27.3% | 26.9% | 27.6% | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More private sector data for South Korea
- Merchandise trade 71.6% (2025)
- Food imports 6.5% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 62.1% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 631.89 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 183.44 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 1.7% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 88.0% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 709.33 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 149.31 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 13,724 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of female business owners in South Korea?
- Share of female business owners in South Korea was 26.9% in 2023, according to World Bank's Entrepreneurship Survey and database (https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/entrepreneurship). Downloaded on May 2, 2026.
- What is the highest share of female business owners recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 27.6% in 2022.
- What is the lowest share of female business owners recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.3% in 2014.
- How does South Korea rank for share of female business owners?
- South Korea ranks 32nd out of 72 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of female business owners rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank's Entrepreneurship Survey and database (https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/entrepreneurship). Downloaded on May 2, 2026, published as part of Share of female business owners (% of total business owners). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Share of female business is the proportion of female newly registered limited liability company owners out of the total number of newly registered limited liability company owners in the economy in the calendar year.