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.

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 density per pixel at 100 metre resolution. WorldPop provides estimates of numbers of people residing in each 100x100m grid cell for every low and middle income country. Through ingegrating cencus, survey, satellite and GIS datasets in a flexible machine-learning framework, high resolution maps of population counts and densities for 2000-2020 are produced, along with accompanying metadata. DATASET: Alpha version 2010 and 2015 estimates of numbers of people per grid square, with national totals adjusted to match UN population division estimates (http://esa.un.org/wpp/) and remaining unadjusted. REGION: East Asia and Pacific SPATIAL RESOLUTION: 0.000833333 decimal degrees (approx 100m at the equator) PROJECTION: Geographic, WGS84 UNITS: Estimated persons per grid square MAPPING APPROACH: Land cover based, as described in: Linard, C., Gilbert, M., Snow, R.W., Noor, A.M. and Tatem, A.J., 2012, Population distribution, settlement patterns and accessibility across Africa in 2010, PLoS ONE, 7(2): e31743. FORMAT: Geotiff (zipped using 7-zip (open access tool): www.7-zip.org) FILENAMES: Example - AGO10adjv4.tif = Angola (AGO) population count map for 2010 (10) adjusted to match UN national estimates (adj), version 4 (v4). Population maps are updated to new versions when improved census or other input data become available. Republic of Korea data available from WorldPop here. Data and Resources TIFF Republic of Korea - Population density (2015) DATASET: Alpha version 2010 and 2015 estimates of numbers of people per grid...

The total population in South Korea was estimated at 51.8 million people in 2024, according to the latest census figures and projections from Trading Economics. This dataset provides - South Korea Population - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

In 2025, the total population of South Korea is projected to be around 51.68 million. In thirty years, the number of people aged 15 to 64 is estimated to decrease by one-third, while the number of older adults is anticipated to more than double. Additionally, the overall population is expected to decline by around six million people by that time. Declining birth rate Several factors are contributing to the expected demographic changes in South Korea. Firstly, the birth rate has been declining for years. As of 2024, South Korea had the lowest fertility rate in the world. This trend continues despite the efforts of successive governments to encourage young people to have children. An increasing number of South Korean women are prioritizing their careers, often choosing to focus on work rather than starting a family at a young age. While the employment rate for South Korean women is still lower than that of men, it has steadily risen over the past decade. Increase in life expectancy Secondly, life expectancy in South Korea has steadily increased due to improved living standards and healthcare. The average life expectancy at birth for South Koreans has risen from less than 75 years to almost 83 years over the past twenty years. As a result, the proportion of people aged 65 and older has grown from less than 11 percent to around 18 percent in the last decade.

Korea Population: Female: Ages 40-44: % of Female Population data was reported at 7.823 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 8.062 % for 2016. Korea Population: Female: Ages 40-44: % of Female Population data is updated yearly, averaging 5.542 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 8.738 % in 2002 and a record low of 4.499 % in 1960. Korea Population: Female: Ages 40-44: % of Female Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Korea – Table KR.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Female population between the ages 40 to 44 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.; ;

Korea Population: Male: Aged 15-64 data was reported at 19,097,096.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 19,085,917.000 Person for 2016. Korea Population: Male: Aged 15-64 data is updated yearly, averaging 14,525,334.500 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 19,097,096.000 Person in 2017 and a record low of 6,642,501.000 Person in 1960. Korea Population: Male: Aged 15-64 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Korea – Table KR.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Male population between the ages 15 to 64. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; World Bank staff estimates using the World Bank's total population and age/sex distributions of the United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Sum;

Korea Population: Male: Ages 0-4: % of Male Population data was reported at 4.530 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 4.536 % for 2016. Korea Population: Male: Ages 0-4: % of Male Population data is updated yearly, averaging 8.519 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 18.875 % in 1961 and a record low of 4.530 % in 2017. Korea Population: Male: Ages 0-4: % of Male Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Korea – Table KR.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Male population between the ages 0 to 4 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.; ;

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.

School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes (number) in South Korea was reported at 453439 Persons in 2020, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Korea - Population of the official age for the last grade of primary education, both sexes - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

WorldPop produces different types of gridded population count datasets, depending on the methods used and end application. Please make sure you have read our Mapping Populations overview page before choosing and downloading a dataset.

A description of the modelling methods used for age and sex structures can be found in "https://pophealthmetrics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1478-7954-11-11" target="_blank"> Tatem et al and Pezzulo et al. Details of the input population count datasets used can be found here, and age/sex structure proportion datasets here.
Both top-down 'unconstrained' and 'constrained' versions of the datasets are available, and the differences between the two methods are outlined here. The datasets represent the outputs from a project focused on construction of consistent 100m resolution population count datasets for all countries of the World structured by male/female and 5-year age classes (plus a <1 year class). These efforts necessarily involved some shortcuts for consistency. The unconstrained datasets are available for each year from 2000 to 2020.
The constrained datasets are only available for 2020 at present, given the time periods represented by the building footprint and built settlement datasets used in the mapping.
Data for earlier dates is available directly from WorldPop.

WorldPop (www.worldpop.org - School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton; Department of Geography and Geosciences, University of Louisville; Departement de Geographie, Universite de Namur) and Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University (2018). Global High Resolution Population Denominators Project - Funded by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1134076). https://dx.doi.org/10.5258/SOTON/WP00646

Population of the official entrance age to secondary general education, both sexes (number) in North Korea was reported at 350903 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 secondary general education, both sexes - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

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.

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, the population of Gyeonggi Province in South Korea stood at around 13.8 million. Seoul followed with about 9.38 million inhabitants. The total population of South Korea stood at around 51.8 million inhabitants that year.

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

WorldPop produces different types of gridded population count datasets, depending on the methods used and end application. Please make sure you have read our Mapping Populations overview page before choosing and downloading a dataset.

Datasets are available to download in Geotiff and ASCII XYZ format at a resolution of 30 arc-seconds (approximately 1km at the equator)

-Unconstrained individual countries 2000-2020: Population density datasets for all countries of the World for each year 2000-2020 – derived from the corresponding Unconstrained individual countries 2000-2020 population count datasets by dividing the number of people in each pixel by the pixel surface area. These are produced using the unconstrained top-down modelling method.
-Unconstrained individual countries 2000-2020 UN adjusted: Population density datasets for all countries of the World for each year 2000-2020 – derived from the corresponding Unconstrained individual countries 2000-2020 population UN adjusted count datasets by dividing the number of people in each pixel, adjusted to match the country total from the official United Nations population estimates (UN 2019), by the pixel surface area. These are produced using the unconstrained top-down modelling method.

Data for earlier dates is available directly from WorldPop.

WorldPop (www.worldpop.org - School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton; Department of Geography and Geosciences, University of Louisville; Departement de Geographie, Universite de Namur) and Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University (2018). Global High Resolution Population Denominators Project - Funded by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1134076). https://dx.doi.org/10.5258/SOTON/WP00674

Korea Population: as % of Total: Aged 65 and Above data was reported at 13.914 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 13.436 % for 2016. Korea Population: as % of Total: Aged 65 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 5.017 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 13.914 % in 2017 and a record low of 3.416 % in 1960. Korea 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 South Korea – Table KR.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;

Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number) in South Korea was reported at 4124679 Persons in 2019, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Korea - Population of compulsory school age, 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 Republic of Korea (SPPOP65UPTOZSKOR) from 1960 to 2023 about 65-years +, Korea, and population.