How many employees work at Kakao?
Kakao Corp. (035720) has approximately 4,005 total employees worldwide as of March 2026, according to Revelio Labs workforce intelligence data. Kakao’s total headcount has declined 3.0% from 4,131 employees in 2023 to 4,005 in 2026.
Is Kakao hiring right now?
Yes, Kakao is actively hiring. Kakao had 100 active job postings in 2026, a 105.3% increase from 2025 — see job openings & hiring trends.
About Kakao’s Workforce
Kakao Corp. (035720) is a Digital Commerce Services company that employs 4,005 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 3.0% from 2023 to 2026, though it is up 0.4% year over year in 2026. It fell to a low of 3,901 in 2025 Q3 before recovering. Its workforce is concentrated most in East Asia (89.0%), followed by North America (3.0%) and South Asia (1.6%).
Kakao's functional groups are Engineering (38.6%), Finance and Operations (37.3%), and Sales and Marketing (24.1%), with Finance and Operations growing fastest (up 2.3%). The average salary is $42,817, ranging from a median of $74,000 in North America to $6,000 in South Asia.
Kakao's active job postings rose 105.3% in 2026 to 100, with new postings per month climbing from 20 in 2023 to 69 in 2026. Overall employee sentiment is neutral but improving.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
- Ticker
- Korea KRX Exchange: 035720
- Headquarters
- South Korea
- Founded
- 1995
- Industry
- Digital Commerce Services
- Employees
- 4,005
- YoY
- +0.4% (+65)
As of March 2026
Kakao workforce metrics
Unlock hiring rate, attrition rate, and 12 additional workforce metrics for Kakao. Compare to peers, export the dataset, and access the full quarterly history.
Unlock MetricsKakao Annual Employee Count (2023-2026)
- Kakao had 4,005 employees in 2026, a 0.4% increase (+65) from 2025.
- Kakao had 3,963 employees in 2025, a 0.1% decline (+3) from 2024.
- Kakao had 3,960 employees in 2024, a 0.1% increase (-28) from 2023.
- Kakao had 3,988 employees in 2023, a 0.8% decline (-164) from 2022.
Kakao's total workforce has grown from 3,901 employees in 2025 to 4,005 in 2026. Kakao's headcount peaked at 4,131 in 2023 before declining in 2025 and recovering through 2026.
Kakao Corp. quarterly employee count
| Year | Qtr | Employees | YoY Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Q1 | 4,005 | +65 | +0.4% |
| 2025 | Q4 | 3,963 | +3 | -0.1% |
| 2025 | Q3 | 3,901 | -41 | -0.8% |
| 2025 | Q2 | 3,933 | +3 | +0.2% |
| 2025 | Q1 | 3,940 | -13 | +1.1% |
| 2024 | Q4 | 3,960 | -28 | +0.1% |
| 2024 | Q3 | 3,942 | -16 | +1.3% |
| 2024 | Q2 | 3,930 | -201 | -1.2% |
| 2024 | Q1 | 3,953 | -184 | -1.2% |
| 2023 | Q4 | 3,988 | -164 | -0.8% |
| 2023 | Q3 | 3,958 | -38 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | Q2 | 4,131 | +200 | +2.2% |
See Kakao's complete headcount history, including quarterly breakdowns.
Get the DataKakao Employee Count by Region (2026)
East Asia accounts for the largest share of Kakao's global workforce with approximately 89% of total employees, followed by North America and South Asia.
Kakao employees by region
| Region | Employees | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| East Asia | 3,528 | 89.0% |
| North America | 121 | 3.0% |
| South Asia | 65 | 1.6% |
| Southeast Asia | 58 | 1.5% |
| Western Europe | 39 | 1.0% |
| South America | 37 | 0.9% |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 29 | 0.7% |
| Northern Europe | 20 | 0.5% |
| Eastern Europe | 13 | 0.3% |
| Central and Western Asia | 13 | 0.3% |
Drill into city-level data, hiring trends by region, and historic geographic shifts.
Unlock Geographic DataKakao Employee Count by Department (2026)
Kakao's employee groups are Engineering (38.6%), Finance and Operations (37.3%), and Sales and Marketing (24.1%).
Kakao employees by department
| Department | Employees | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering | 1,525 | 38.6% |
| Finance and Operations | 1,474 | 37.3% |
| Sales and Marketing | 952 | 24.1% |
Compare Kakao's department mix to industry peers.
See Full DataKakao Employee Salary by Region (2026)
Kakao's average employee salary is $42,817 globally. Employees in North America receive the highest compensation, with median pay approximately 1.7x the global average. Pay is lowest in South Asia, at a median of $6,000.
Kakao median employee salary by region (USD)
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| North America | $74,000 |
| Western Europe | $63,000 |
| Pacific Islands | $62,000 |
| Northern Europe | $50,000 |
| East Asia | $39,000 |
| Arab States | $33,000 |
| Central America and the Caribbean | $27,000 |
| Southern Europe | $22,000 |
| Eastern Europe | $21,000 |
| Central and Western Asia | $19,000 |
| Southeast Asia | $13,000 |
| South America | $11,000 |
| North Africa | $6,000 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $6,000 |
| South Asia | $6,000 |
Unlock salary by role, level, and city — and compare to Kakao's industry peers.
Unlock Salary DataKakao Job Openings and Hiring Trends (2023-2026)
- Kakao had 100 active job postings in 2026, a 105.3% increase (-89) 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.
Kakao's hiring is accelerating: active job postings rose 105.3% in 2026 to 100, 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.
Unlock Hiring DataKakao Employee Sentiment (2026)
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.
Unlock SentimentSimilar Companies
Similar Digital Commerce Services Companies by Employee Count
Frequently Asked Questions About Kakao
- How fast is Kakao growing?
- In 2026, Kakao's headcount grew 0.4% to 4,005 employees, up from 3,940 in 2025.
- See the full headcount history
- Where are Kakao employees located?
- Most Kakao employees are based in East Asia (89.0% of headcount), followed by North America and South Asia.
- Explore where the workforce is based
- What is the average salary at Kakao?
- The average employee salary at Kakao is approximately $42.8k per year.
- Analyze the salary distribution
- How many new job postings does Kakao open per year?
- In Q1 2026, Kakao opened 208 new job postings. In 2025, Kakao opened 734 new job postings — about 61 per month.
- Track hiring trends by role
- When was Kakao founded and where is it headquartered?
- Kakao was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in South Korea.
- Compare Kakao to industry peers
Speak with a workforce expert about Kakao.
Book a DemoSee something that doesn't look right? Reach out and our team will review it.