How many employees work at Kakao?
Kakao Corp. (035720) has approximately 3,974 total employees worldwide as of March 2026, according to Revelio Labs workforce intelligence data. Kakao's total headcount has declined 4.5% from 4,159 employees in 2023 to 3,974 in 2026.
Data source: Revelio LabsCoverage: Global workforce, 2023–2026Published July 2026
Is Kakao hiring right now?
Yes, Kakao is actively hiring. Kakao had 101 active job postings in 2026, a 106.1% increase from 2025 — see job openings & hiring trends.
About Kakao's Workforce
Kakao Corp. (035720) is a Digital Commerce Services company that employs 3,974 people worldwide as of March 2026. It is the 9th-largest by headcount among its peers. Founded in 1995, the company is headquartered in South Korea and trades on the Korea KRX Exchange.
Kakao's workforce has declined 4.5% from 2023 to 2026. It reached a low of 3,899 in 2025 Q3 before recovering. The headcount is concentrated most in South Korea (88.7%), followed by the United States (3.1%) and India (0.9%), with Brazil as the fastest-growing location.
Kakao's largest groups by function are Engineering (38.7%), Finance and Operations (37.3%), and Sales and Marketing (24.0%), with Engineering the fastest-growing group (up 1.5%). The average tenure across employees is 3.9 years, and the average salary is $43,404, with regional medians of $74,000 in Northern America and $6,000 in Southern Asia.
Kakao's hiring activity shows a sharp surge in demand, with active job postings rising 106.1% in 2026 to 101 postings. New postings per month have climbed from 20 in 2023 to 69 in 2026. Overall sentiment is neutral but improving.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
As of March 2026
Kakao
workforce metrics
Headcount
4k
0.0% YoY
Avg. Salary
$43.4k
0.7% YoY
Tenure
3.9yr
0.3yr YoY
Growth Rate
0.0%
0.8pts YoY
Hiring Rate
Attrition Rate
Unlock hiring rate, attrition rate, and 12 additional workforce metrics for Kakao. Compare to peers, export the dataset, and access the full quarterly history.
- Kakao had 3,974 employees in 2026, a 0% no change (+36) from 2025.
- Kakao had 3,941 employees in 2025, a 0.4% decline (-23) from 2024.
- Kakao had 3,964 employees in 2024, a 0.1% decline (-38) from 2023.
- Kakao had 4,002 employees in 2023, a 0.7% decline (-161) from 2022.
Kakao's total workforce has grown from 3,899 employees in 2025 to 3,974 in 2026. Kakao's headcount peaked at 4,159 in 2023 before declining in 2025 and recovering through 2026.
Kakao Corp. — quarterly employee count (2023–2026)
| Year | Qtr | Employees | YoY Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Q1 | 3,974 | +36 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | Q4 | 3,941 | -23 | -0.4% |
| 2025 | Q3 | 3,899 | -44 | -1.0% |
| 2025 | Q2 | 3,937 | -2 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | Q1 | 3,938 | -26 | +0.8% |
| 2024 | Q4 | 3,964 | -38 | -0.1% |
| 2024 | Q3 | 3,943 | -35 | +1.1% |
| 2024 | Q2 | 3,939 | -220 | -1.4% |
| 2024 | Q1 | 3,964 | -186 | -1.3% |
| 2023 | Q4 | 4,002 | -161 | -0.7% |
| 2023 | Q3 | 3,978 | -22 | +0.3% |
| 2023 | Q2 | 4,159 | +227 | +2.5% |
Want to see Kakao's complete headcount history back to 2008, including quarterly breakdowns?
South Korea accounts for the largest share of Kakao's global workforce with approximately 89% of total employees, followed by the United States and India. Kakao's headcount in Brazil is growing fastest among its major locations, up 7.6% year over year in 2026.
Kakao employees by country — 2026
| Country | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 3,485 | 88.7% | +1.2% |
| United States | 120 | 3.1% | -10.1% |
| India | 37 | 0.9% | -2.3% |
| Indonesia | 29 | 0.7% | +3.3% |
| Brazil | 25 | 0.6% | +7.6% |
| Netherlands | 15 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| Afghanistan | 15 | 0.4% | -22.9% |
| Turkey | 15 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| Germany | 14 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| United Kingdom | 10 | 0.3% | +5.9% |
Drill into city-level data, hiring trends by region and historic geographic shifts
Kakao's largest employee groups are Engineering (38.7%), Finance and Operations (37.3%), and Sales and Marketing (24.0%).
Kakao employees by department — 2026
| Department | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering | 1,518 | 38.7% | +1.5% |
| Finance and Operations | 1,461 | 37.3% | +1.3% |
| Sales and Marketing | 942 | 24.0% | -1.8% |
Compare Kakao's department mix to industry peers.
Kakao's average employee salary is $43,404 globally. Employees in Northern America receive the highest compensation, with median pay approximately 1.7x the global average. Pay is lowest in Southern Asia, at a median of $6,000.
Kakao median employee salary by region — 2026 (USD)
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Northern America | $74,000 |
| Western Europe | $63,000 |
| Pacific Islands | $60,000 |
| Northern Europe | $58,000 |
| Eastern Asia | $39,000 |
| Arab States | $33,000 |
| Eastern Europe | $23,000 |
| Central America and the Caribbean | $23,000 |
| Southern Europe | $22,000 |
| Central and Western Asia | $19,000 |
| South-Eastern Asia | $14,000 |
| Northern Africa | $12,000 |
| Southern America | $11,000 |
| Southern Asia | $6,000 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $6,000 |
Unlock salary by role, level, and city — and compare to Kakao's industry peers.
- Kakao had 101 active job postings in 2026, a 106.1% increase (-88) from 2025.
- Kakao had 189 active job postings in 2025, a 121.7% increase (+143) from 2024.
- Kakao had 46 active job postings in 2024, a 48.6% increase (+18) from 2023.
- Kakao had 28 active job postings in 2023, a 38.3% increase from 2022.
- Hiring velocity in 2026: 69 new roles/month, up from 61 in 2025 and 17 in 2024. New metric
Kakao's hiring is accelerating: active job postings rose 106.1% in 2026 to 101, with new postings per month climbing from 20 in 2023 to 69 in 2026.
Track new postings per month, role-level demand, and hiring velocity vs. peers.
Revelio Labs tracks employee sentiment across Kakao's workforce based on public professional data. Overall sentiment is neutral and has improved year over year in 2026.
Overall
Unlock the full sentiment breakdown by department, tenure, and trend over time.
Similar Digital Commerce Services Companies by Employee Count
- How fast is Kakao growing?
- In 2026, Kakao's headcount grew 0.0% to 3,974 employees, up from 3,938 in 2025.
- Where are Kakao employees located?
- Most Kakao employees are based in South Korea (88.7% of headcount), followed by the United States and India.
- What is the average salary at Kakao?
- The average employee salary at Kakao is approximately $43.4k per year.
- How many people does Kakao hire per year?
- In 2026, Kakao opened roughly 828 new roles — about 69 per month.
- When was Kakao founded and where is it headquartered?
- Kakao was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in South Korea.
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