South Korea Demographics

Population of South Korea (2025)

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

South Korea Population
51,667,029
see live
Yearly Change
−0.1%
Global Share
0.63%
Global Rank
29

Median Age

The median age in South Korea is 45.6 years (2025).

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


Total Fertility Rate (TFR)
0.7
(Live Births per Woman, 2025)

Life Expectancy in South Korea

See also: Countries in the world ranked by Life Expectancy

Both Sexes
84.5
(life expectancy at birth, both sexes combined)
Females
87.4
(life expectancy at birth, females)
Males
81.4
(life expectancy at birth, males)


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


Infant Mortality
1.9
(infant deaths per 1,000 live births)
Deaths under age 5
2.5
(per 1,000 live births)


South Korea Urban Population

Currently, 82.4% of the population of South Korea is urban (42,587,468 people in 2025)


Population Density

The 2025 population density in South Korea is 531 people per Km2 (1,376 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

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: Nigeria 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:

Population pyramid 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.