In 2024, the population of South Korea was estimated to be about 51.75 million. The population of North Korea was approximately 25.87 million, which is roughly half the population of South Korea. Economic comparison between South and North Korea Following the Korean War (1950-1953), South Korea and North Korea pursued vastly different trajectories, not only politically but also economically. South Korea embraced capitalism and free market principles, which fueled its rapid economic growth and transformed it into one of the world's leading economies. In contrast, North Korea adopted a state-controlled, centrally planned economy, leading to isolation and economic stagnation. While South Korea's gross domestic product (GDP) reached around 2,401 trillion South Korean won in 2023, only about 40 trillion won was recorded for North Korea. Food crisis in North Korea North Korea has faced food insecurity for a long time, and this has been exacerbated in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was estimated that the country had a food shortage of around 860,000 metric tons in 2023. Although the North Korean government maintains a centrally planned economic system, food distribution has long been a problem, as an increasing number of North Korean defectors have reported that they have never received food from North Korean authorities.

In 2023, South Korea had a population density of 515 inhabitants per square kilometer, while of North Korea was 209 inhabitants per square kilometer. The population density in South Korea is approximately twice that of North Korea.

In 1800, it is estimated that approximately 4.35 million people lived in the region of present-day North Korea. This figure would remain stagnant through much of the 19th century, increasing by just one million people over the next 110 years. The dissolution of the Joseon dynasty in the Korean peninsula in the late-1800s marked the end of centuries of Korean isolationism, and the new Korean Empire then opened itself to foreign trade and influence. By the start of the 20th century, the region of North Korea had a population of just over five million. This growth would increase dramatically following the annexation of the Korean peninsula by Japan in 1910, as extensive industrialization and modernization efforts would result in the population of North Korea doubling from just over five million at the turn of the century, to over ten and a half million by the start of the Korean War in 1950. The Korean War Following Japan's defeat in the Second World War, the Korean Peninsula was split along the 38th parallel, with a Soviet-backed totalitarian government established in the north, and a U.S.-backed authoritarian government in the south. Neither government recognized the legitimacy of the other, and an escalation of tensions saw the North invade the South in June 1950. By 1953, the North's population dropped below ten million. It is estimated that there were approximately three million total fatalities in the war, with North Korea having the largest share of fatalities of all forces involved; however, the North's isolationist and secretive policies have made it difficult to calculate the full impact of the war on the North's population. Most modern estimates suggest that more than 1.5 million North Koreans died or went missing over these three years. Following the establishment of an armistice between North and South Korea in 1953, the population of the newly-formed Democratic People's Republic of North Korea would begin to rise sharply, from 10 million at the time of armistice to almost 15 million in 1970, just twenty years later. North Korea today North Korea's population has increased in each year since the war's end, however, the rate of growth decreased in the late 1970s, as a severe economic crisis and a resulting lack of foreign technology would lead to a scaling back of many of social welfare programs for the country’s citizens. Growth would slow even further following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, as the loss of Soviet foreign aid would send the North Korean economy into a sharp decline. In the 1990s, a series of flooding, droughts, famine and economic mismanagement led to the deaths of between 500,000 to 600,000* North Koreans. Recent years have seen an improvement in political relations between both the North and South, and even sporadic improvements with the U.S., which could lead to a less-isolated North Korea in the future; however, the continued testing of nuclear weapons and allegations of widespread human rights violations have drawn widespread criticism from the international community. In 2020, it is estimated that approximately 25.8 million people reside in North Korea.

Chart and table of North Korea population from 1950 to 2025. United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100.

The statistic shows the total population of South Korea from 2019 to 2023, with projections up until 2029. In 2023, the total population of South Korea was about 51.71 million people. Population of South Korea South Korea, also called Republic of Korea, has one of the highest population densities worldwide, i.e. a very high number of inhabitants per square kilometer. However, this does not equal bad standard of living; on the Human Development Index, which ranks countries by their level of living standards using key factors, such as unemployment rate, literacy rate, fertility and mortality rates, etc., South Korea is among the highest-ranked countries. When looking at the aforementioned key factors, South Korea indeed seems to offer a fairly stable environment for its inhabitants, economically and demographically: The country’s unemployment rate has been relatively steady for the past decade, its gross domestic product (GDP) is constantly increasing, and it is among the countries with the highest trade surplus worldwide. As for standard of living, life expectancy at birth in South Korea is among the highest worldwide – South Korea is even mentioned in a recent ranking of the best birthplaces for children. Despite the high population density, South Korea is now one of the countries with the lowest fertility rates, i.e. the number of babies born by women of childbearing age. This apparent discrepancy could be explained by a high number of immigrants coupled with the aforementioned high life expectancy.

North Korea KP: Population: Female: Ages 30-34: % of Female Population data was reported at 6.994 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 6.994 % for 2016. North Korea KP: Population: Female: Ages 30-34: % of Female Population data is updated yearly, averaging 7.654 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 9.872 % in 2002 and a record low of 4.769 % in 1984. North Korea KP: Population: Female: Ages 30-34: % of Female Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s North Korea – Table KP.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Female population between the ages 30 to 34 as a percentage of the total female population.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age/sex distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; ;

North Korea KP: Population: Total data was reported at 25,490,965.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 25,368,620.000 Person for 2016. North Korea KP: Population: Total data is updated yearly, averaging 19,851,039.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 25,490,965.000 Person in 2017 and a record low of 11,424,176.000 Person in 1960. North Korea KP: Population: Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s North Korea – Table KP.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Sum; Relevance to gender indicator: disaggregating the population composition by gender will help a country in projecting its demand for social services on a gender basis.

Graph and download economic data for Population Ages 0 to 14 for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (SPPOP0014TOZSPRK) from 1960 to 2023 about North Korea, 0 to 14 years, and population.

Graph and download economic data for Age Dependency Ratio: Older Dependents to Working-Age Population for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (SPPOPDPNDOLPRK) from 1960 to 2023 about North Korea, 64 years +, working-age, ratio, and population.

North Korea KP: Population: Female: Ages 10-14: % of Female Population data was reported at 6.856 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 7.016 % for 2016. North Korea KP: Population: Female: Ages 10-14: % of Female Population data is updated yearly, averaging 8.228 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 13.067 % in 1981 and a record low of 6.856 % in 2017. North Korea KP: Population: Female: Ages 10-14: % of Female Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s North Korea – Table KP.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Female population between the ages 10 to 14 as a percentage of the total female population.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age/sex distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; ;

Population, male in North Korea was reported at 13058006 Persons in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. North Korea - Population, male - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

North Korea KP: Population: as % of Total: Aged 65 and Above data was reported at 9.491 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 9.647 % for 2016. North Korea KP: Population: as % of Total: Aged 65 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 4.201 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 9.697 % in 2015 and a record low of 3.163 % in 1971. North Korea KP: Population: as % of Total: Aged 65 and Above data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s North Korea – Table KP.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population ages 65 and above as a percentage of the total population. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age/sex distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Weighted average;

In 1800, it is estimated that approximately 9.4 million people lived in the region of modern-day South Korea (and 13.8 million on the entire peninsula). The population of this region would remain fairly constant through much of the 19th century, but would begin to grow gradually starting in the mid-1800s, as the fall of the Joseon dynasty and pressure from the U.S. and Japan would end centuries of Korean isolationism. Following the opening of the country to foreign trade, the Korean peninsula would begin to modernize, and by the start of the 20th century, it would have a population of just over ten million. The Korean peninsula was then annexed by Japan in 1910, whose regime implemented industrialization and modernization policies that saw the population of South Korea rising from just under ten million in 1900, to over fifteen million by the start of the Second World War in 1939.

The Korean War Like most regions, the end of the Second World War coincided with a baby boom, that helped see South Korea's population grow by almost two million between 1945 and 1950. However, this boom would stop suddenly in the early 1950s, due to disruption caused by the Korean War. After WWII, the peninsula was split along the 38th parallel, with governments on both sides claiming to be the legitimate rulers of all Korea. Five years of tensions then culminated in North Korea's invasion of the South in June 1950, in the first major conflict of the Cold War. In September, the UN-backed South then repelled the Soviet- and Chinese-backed Northern army, and the frontlines would then fluctuate on either side of the 38th parallel throughout the next three years. The war came to an end in July, 1953, and had an estimated death toll of three million fatalities. The majority of fatalities were civilians on both sides, although the North suffered a disproportionate amount due to extensive bombing campaigns of the U.S. Unlike North Korea, the South's total population did not fall during the war.

Post-war South Korea Between the war's end and the late 1980s, the South's total population more than doubled. In these decades, South Korea was generally viewed as a nominal democracy under authoritarian and military leadership; it was not until 1988 when South Korea transitioned into a stable democracy, and grew its international presence. Much of South Korea's rapid socio-economic growth in the late 20th century was based on the West German model, and was greatly assisted by Japanese and U.S. investment. Today, South Korea is considered one of the world's wealthiest and most developed nations, ranking highly in terms of GDP, human development and life expectancy; it is home to some of the most valuable brands in the world, such as Samsung and Hyundai; and has a growing international cultural presence in music and cinema. In the past decades, South Korea's population growth has somewhat slowed, however it remains one of the most densely populated countries in the world, with total population of more than 51 million people.

Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in North Korea was reported at 3157538 in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. North Korea - Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Population Ages 15 to 64 for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (SPPOP1564TOZSPRK) from 1960 to 2023 about North Korea, 15 to 64 years, and population.

School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes (number) in North Korea was reported at 667616 Persons in 2019, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. North Korea - Population of the official age for pre-primary education, both sexes - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

UNICEF's country profile for Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, including under-five mortality rates, child health, education and sanitation data.

North Korea KP: Population: Male: Ages 60-64: % of Male Population data was reported at 3.818 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 3.171 % for 2016. North Korea KP: Population: Male: Ages 60-64: % of Male Population data is updated yearly, averaging 1.840 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4.167 % in 2005 and a record low of 1.592 % in 1969. North Korea KP: Population: Male: Ages 60-64: % of Male Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s North Korea – Table KP.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Male population between the ages 60 to 64 as a percentage of the total male population.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age/sex distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; ;

Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both sexes (number) in North Korea was reported at 330430 Persons in 2019, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. North Korea - Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both sexes - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Population ages 65 and above for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (SPPOP65UPTOZSPRK) from 1960 to 2023 about North Korea, 65-years +, and population.