The average annual working hours for South Koreans fell by 32 hours last year from the previous year but remain nearly 100 hours longer than the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development average, data showed.South Korea’s average annual working hours came to 1,833 hours in 2025, down from 1,865 hours the previous year, according to the OECD.Amid the South Korean government’s efforts to reduce real working hours, including the introduction of the 52-hour workweek system in 2018, the country’s average annual working hours have steadily declined.But South Korea’s 2025 yearly working hours remained 97 hours longer than last year’s average among 36 OECD member states at 1,736 hours, data showed. Currently, the OECD has 38 member nations.Of the 36 OECD nations for which data was available in 2025, South Korea ranked sixth in terms of working hours. Mexico topped the list with 2,205 hours last year, followed by Costa Rica, Chile, Greece and Israel. (Yonhap)
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