South Korea Demographics

Population of South Korea (2024)

View live population, charts & trends: Population of South Korea

South Korea Population
51,717,590
Yearly Change
-0.06%
Global Share
0.63%
Global Rank

Median Age

The median age in South Korea is 45.1 years (2024).

Fertility in South Korea

A Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 2.1 represents the Replacement-Level Fertility: the average number of children per woman needed for each generation to exactly replace itself without needing international immigration. A value below 2.1 will cause the native population to decline

pregnant_woman Total Fertiliy Rate (TFR)
0.7
(Live Births per Woman, 2024)

Life Expectancy in South Korea

See also: Countries in the world ranked by Life Expectancy

Both Sexes
84.4 years
(life expectancy at birth, both sexes combined)
Females
87.3 years
(life expectancy at birth, females)
Males
81.3 years
(life expectancy at birth, males)

Infant Mortality Rate and Deaths of Children under 5 Years Old in South Korea

Infant Mortality
2.0
(infant deaths per 1,000 live births)
Deaths under age 5
2.6
(per 1,000 live births)

South Korea Urban Population

Currently, 82.1 % of the population of South Korea is urban (42,454,846 people in 2024)

Population Density

The 2024 population density in South Korea is 532 people per Km2 (1,378 people per mi2), calculated on a total land area of 97,230 Km2 (37,541 sq. miles).

Largest Cities in South Korea

# CITY NAME POPULATION
1 Seoul 10,349,312
2 Busan 3,678,555
3 Incheon 2,954,955
4 Daegu 2,566,540
5 Gwangju 1,490,092
6 Daejeon 1,469,543
7 Suwon 1,241,311
8 Goyang-si 1,073,069
9 Seongnam-si 1,031,935
10 Changwon 1,025,702
11 Ulsan 962,865
12 Bucheon-si 850,731
13 Cheongju-si 846,291
14 Ansan-si 716,785
15 Cheonan 666,417
16 Jeonju 652,392
17 Hwaseong-si 640,890
18 Anyang-si 595,644
19 Kimhae 550,758
20 Pohang 500,000
21 Jeju City 486,306
22 Uijeongbu-si 479,141
23 Masan 434,371
24 Gumi 427,770
25 Pyeongtaek 364,694
26 Gwangmyeong 357,545
27 Sejong 351,007
28 Yangsan 342,371
29 Wonju 332,849
30 Chinju 307,242

See also

Sources

Definitions

Population Pyramid

A Population pyramid (also called "Age-Sex Pyramid") is a graphical representation of the age and sex of a population.

Types:

  • Expansive - pyramid with a wide base (larger percentage of people in younger age groups, indicating high birth rates and high fertility rates) and narrow top (high death rate and lower life expectancies). It suggests a growing population. Example: Nigera Population Pyramid
  • Constrictive - pyramid with a narrow base (lower percentage of younger people, indicating declining birth rates with each succeeding age group getting smaller than the previous one). Example: United States
  • Stationary - with a somewhat equal proportion of the population in each age group. The population is stable, neither increasing nor decreasing.

Stages:

 

Dependency Ratio

There are three types of age dependency ratio: Youth, Elderly, and Total. All three ratios are commonly multiplied by 100.

Youth Dependency Ratio
Definition: population ages 0-15 divided by the population ages 16-64.
Formula: ([Population ages 0-15] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Elderly dependency ratio
Definition: population ages 65-plus divided by the population ages 16-64.
Formula: ([Population ages 65-plus] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Total dependency ratio
Definition: sum of the youth and old-age ratios.
Formula: (([Population ages 0-15] + [Population ages 65-plus]) ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

NOTE: Dependency Ratio does not take into account labor force participation rates by age group. Some portion of the population counted as "working age" may actually be unemployed or not in the labor force whereas some portion of the "dependent" population may be employed and not necessarily economically dependent.