Share of female sole proprietors (% of sole proprietors) in South Korea
South Korea: Share of female sole proprietors (% of sole proprietors) was 46.9% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Share of female sole proprietors 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 sole proprietors.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 46.9% for share of female sole proprietors in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.0% on the previous year and down 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of female sole proprietors in South Korea peaked at 48.8% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 46.9%, in 2023.
That places South Korea 13th out of 78 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
Share of female sole proprietors (% of sole proprietors) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % of sole proprietors | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 47.4% | — |
| 2015 | 48.2% | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 48.3% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 48.5% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 48.8% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 48.2% | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 48.4% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 48.3% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 47.4% | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 46.9% | -1.0% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 46.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 38.2%, 1.2× the median. (28 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 46.9% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 44.8%, 1.0× the median. (10 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 48.2% | 47.4% | 48.8% | 6 |
| 2020s | 47.7% | 46.9% | 48.4% | 4 |
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 sole proprietors in South Korea?
- Share of female sole proprietors in South Korea was 46.9% 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 sole proprietors recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 48.8% in 2018.
- What is the lowest share of female sole proprietors recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 46.9% in 2023.
- How does South Korea rank for share of female sole proprietors?
- South Korea ranks 13th out of 78 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of female sole proprietors rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- 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 sole proprietors (% of sole proprietors). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Share of female sole proprietors is the proportion of female newly registered sole proprietors out of the total number of newly registered sole proprietors in the economy in the calendar year. A sole proprietorship is a business entity owned and managed by a single individual who is indistinguishable from the business and personally liable.