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The number of individuals taking parental leave in South Korea reached an all-time high last year, with a notable increase in the share of men using the system.

According to data released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on Wednesday, the total number of parental leave users reached 206,226 in 2024, surpassing the 200,000 mark for the first time.

This is an increase of more than 10,000 from 198,218 in 2023.

By gender, women accounted for 70.8 percent of all parental leave users, while men made up 29.2 percent.

The proportion of men has increased fivefold over the past decade from 6 percent in 2015.

By age group, women were most likely to take parental leave between 30 and 34, while men showed the highest usage between 35 and 39.

Among parental leave users, 67.9 percent of men and 57.7 percent of women worked at companies with 300 or more employees.

In contrast, the share fell sharply to 4.3 percent for men and 5.7 percent for women at workplaces with 4 or fewer employees.

This indicates that parental leave usage is concentrated at large corporations and public institutions where related systems are relatively well established.

Parental leave is available to employees with children aged 8 or younger, or in their second grade of elementary school or below, and can be applied for starting when the child is an infant.

By industry, male parental leave users were concentrated in manufacturing (22.3 percent) and public administration (19.6 percent), while female users were most prevalent in health and social welfare services (20.3 percent), followed by public administration (14.5 percent).

Among parents of newborns last year, 96,810 took parental leave during the year, a 9.7 percent increase from the previous year.

In percentage terms, the parental leave usage rate among parents of newborns last year stood at 34.7 percent, the highest level on record.

The rate was 72.2 percent for women and 10.2 percent for men, meaning that 1 out of every 10 men took parental leave when their child was born last year - a record high.

In 2015, only 0.6 percent of men with newborns took parental leave in the year of birth.

By region, the parental leave usage rate among parents of newborns in 2024 was highest in Jeju (39.3 percent) and Gangwon (38.8 percent), and lowest in Ulsan (30.6 percent) and Daegu (33.1 percent).