Women earn 25.91 million won less than men on average

Women at South Korean companies subject to mandatory disclosures earned an average of 25.91 million won less than men last year, despite a modest narrowing in the gender pay gap.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family analyzed data from 3,146 companies that filed business reports through the Financial Supervisory Service’s electronic disclosure system, along with 355 public institutions. The figures formed part of the ministry’s 2025 gender pay statistics, published under the country’s basic law on gender equality.

Men at the companies earned an average of 102.03 million won, while women earned 76.12 million won. The gap fell to 29.3 percent from 30.7 percent a year earlier. Men’s average pay rose 4.3 percent, while women’s rose 6.5 percent. Even after the improvement, the gap remained far above the OECD average of 10.3 percent in 2024.

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Although positive changes in reducing the gender gap have been identified, a gender pay gap still exists because of structural factors, including differences in tenure caused by occupational segregation and career interruptions, as well as the glass ceiling.

The differences varied sharply by industry. Wholesale and retail, and construction, each recorded a 42.3 percent gap. Agriculture, forestry and fishing recorded 34.5 percent, while water, sewage, waste treatment and materials recovery recorded 34.1 percent. Business facilities management, business support and rental services recorded 31.5 percent. The smallest gaps appeared in accommodation and food services, at 14.2 percent, and arts, sports and recreation services, at 15.6 percent.

Public institutions also improved, though their gap remained substantial. Men earned an average of 74.79 million won and women 60.56 million won, producing a 19.0 percent gap compared with 20.0 percent the previous year. The gap in average tenure also narrowed, to 19.8 percent at companies and 18.1 percent at public institutions.

The ministry attributed the continuing disparity to occupational segregation, career interruptions and the glass ceiling. It is pursuing an employment-equality disclosure system that would publish companies’ gender employment and pay data by occupation, rank and employment type. Minister Won Min-kyung said the system would help identify where pay gaps arise and encourage companies to change their employment practices.

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We will do everything possible to introduce the employment-equality disclosure system so that we can identify more accurately where gender pay gaps arise and lead to real improvements in companies’ employment practices.