Number of Female Public Officials in Local Governments Up 2.5 Times in 20 Years... Ninefold Increase at Grade 5 or Higher

Among New Successful Applicants, Women Outnumber Men in Grades 7 to 9
Last Year, 4,193 Male Officials Took Parental Leave... Number Continues to Rise

The number of female public officials in local governments nationwide has increased 2.5 times over the past 20 years, from around 60,000 to approximately 160,000. The increase was even more pronounced among managers at grade 5 or higher, where the figure rose ninefold.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety released these findings in its "Personnel Statistics on Female Public Officials in Local Governments." This year marks the 20th anniversary since the statistics were first compiled in 2005.

According to the statistics, the number of female public officials in local governments grew from 64,683 in 2005 to 161,710 in 2024. As of last year, women accounted for 51.3% of all public officials, outnumbering men. The regions with the highest proportion of female public officials were Busan (57.5%), Seoul (55.4%), and Incheon (54.3%), in that order.

The number of managerial public officials at grade 5 or above reached 9,283, a ninefold increase from 1,036 in 2005. This figure also represents an increase of about 1,200 compared to 8,008 in 2023. Notably, the proportion of female public officials at grade 6, who are eligible for promotion to grade 5, rose by 1.2 percentage points over the past year to 48.4%.

The proportion of women among new successful applicants is also high. Last year, among the 388 people who passed the grade 7 open competitive exam, 198 were women, accounting for 51.0%. Among the 12,370 people who passed the grade 8·9 open competitive exam, 6,665 were women (53.9%), outnumbering men. In 2024, under the gender equality recruitment target system, one woman passed additionally in grade 7, while in grades 8·9, 103 men and 22 women were additionally accepted, with men outnumbering women.

The number of public officials who took maternity leave increased by 8.5%, from 6,707 to 7,279. Among them, the number of male officials taking parental leave also increased by 8.8%, from 3,855 to 4,193.

Park Yeonbyeong, Director General of Decentralization at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, stated, "This year marks the 30th anniversary of the start of local autonomy, and the proportion of female public officials in local governments has reached an all-time high, while the number of male officials taking parental leave continues to rise. We will continue to support the establishment of a work-life balance culture so that the public sector becomes an even better place to work."