In 2024, Seoul's population amounted to around *** million, a decline from approximately *** million residents in the previous year. Seoul, the capital of South Korea, is one of the cities with the highest population densities in the world.

Historical dataset of population level and growth rate for the Seoul, South Korea metro area from 1950 to 2025.

In 2023, the population aged 15 years and over in Seoul, South Korea amounted to around 8.47 million people, similar to the previous year. The number of people aged 15 and older in Seoul has declined slightly since 2015, except in 2020 and 2021.

In 2023, Seoul's gross regional domestic product (GRDP) per capita amounted to about 58 million South Korean won, up from about 56 million won in the previous year. The GRDP per capita in Seoul has shown steady growth over the past few years.

In 2025, the total population of South Korea is projected to be around ***** 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 *** 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 ** percent to around ** percent in the last decade.

In 2023, the population of Incheon, South Korea amounted to around **** million, slightly up from about **** million in the previous year. Incheon is the third-largest city in South Korea, after Seoul and Busan.

In 2023, the population of Gyeonggi (Gyeonggi Province), South Korea stood at about **** million. Gyeonggi surrounds the capital city of Seoul. With the urbanization of South Korea, more and more people from rural areas moved to Seoul and Gyeonggi.

According to a survey conducted in South Korea in 2023, over ** percent of respondents reported no religious affiliation, while approximately ** percent identified as Christians and ** percent as Buddhists. Religious population South Korea is a multi-religious society where Christianity, Buddhism, and various other religions coexist with shamanism. According to a previous study, the domestic religious population appeared to decline over time after reaching its peak in 2005, at nearly ** million people. In contrast, the share of people who are religiously unaffiliated has increased in recent years. Within the last two decades, the religiously unaffiliated population has increased from about ** percent to more than ** percent. Shamanism Shamanism has continued to significantly influence the daily lives of many South Koreans. According to a survey conducted in 2023, about ** percent of respondents reported having consulted a fortune-teller within the past year. Roughly ** percent of those respondents were already affiliated with a religion.

In South Korea, approximately 70.69 percent of the population was between 15 and 64 years old in 2023, while those above the age of 64 made up around 18.34 percent. The youngest generation made up an even smaller percentage than the elderly, but were the only group that did not increase in size over the last decade, partly due to a decrease in births since 2007. Reasons for fewer children While it is not always the case that family sizes shrink when there are less births per woman, the fertility rate in South Korea is undisputably decreasing overall and less children are born. The reasons people cite for having fewer children vary greatly by gender and marital status in South Korea: For example, more married people than singles - and of those more married women than men - say that the difficulty of maintaining a work life balance is the largest concern for them. Meanwhile, men express more economic concerns about child support, and notably more singles nowadays say they feel no need to have children.

In 2024, there were around *** passenger cars per inhabitant in South Korea. This meant that there was a registered car for every two people in the country. The number of cars registered per person first hit the *** mark in 2019, and has stayed at that level for the past few years. The leading home brand Hyundai Motor Group As of 2022, the top 10 best-selling domestic car models in South Korea were from the Hyundai Motor Group (Hyundai Motor, Kia Motor, and Genesis). After Kia Motor was merged into Hyundai during the 1997 Asian financial crisis, both companies have shown strong growth. Hyundai Motor has four factories in South Korea, including its main factory in Ulsan and nine overseas factories. Domestic mobility services In South Korea, it is common to use public transportation such as buses or subways due to traffic congestion or a lack of parking spaces. In addition, the use of devices such as electric scooters or bikes has increased in recent years. Personal mobility devices (PMD) are frequently used in urban settings like Seoul, and have become a familiar presence on the street. In addition to this, the use of ride-hailing services such as Kakao T and Tada has greatly increased, offering customers further flexibility in their travels.

In 2024, approximately 958,959 Chinese (including those of Korean descent) resided in South Korea, the largest group of foreign nationals. This was followed by citizens from Vietnam, with around 305,936 people.

In 2024, Chungbuk Province had the highest suicide prevention budget among all provinces in South Korea, totaling about 12.02 billion South Korean won. Seoul followed with about 6.91 billion won. Despite the nationwide increase in the budget for suicide prevention over the past few years, the suicide rate has continued to rise. In 2021, South Korea had the highest suicide rate among all OECD countries.

In 2023, the number of deaths by suicide in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea amounted to 3,405, the highest among all regions in South Korea. The number of suicide deaths in the capital city of Seoul was more than 2,100. South Korea has the highest suicide rate among the member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). In 2022, the total suicide deaths in South Korea stood at more than 13,900.

In 2023, South Korea's suicide rate reached **** deaths per 100,000 people, nearly double that of two decades ago. South Korea has the highest suicide rate among the member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).Mental health in South KoreaIn South Korea, mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety, along with financial hardships, have been identified as significant contributing factors leading individuals to attempt suicide. According to a survey, nearly half of the respondents reported experiencing severe stress, making it the most commonly reported type of mental health problem that year. Additionally, suicide is increasingly recognized not only as an individual health problem in South Korea but also as a complex social issue that arises, among other factors, from the country's rapid economic development. Suicide prevention In response to the escalating suicide rates, the government introduced its first suicide prevention program in 2004. Since then, several measures have been implemented to address this pressing issue. For instance, Seoul City initiated the "Bridge of Life" project on the Mapo Bridge, a well-known site for suicide attempts. The primary goal of the project was to provide comfort to individuals contemplating suicide by projecting uplifting messages and images on the bridge. In 2021, however, it was decided to remove the messages and slogans due to their limited impact. If you are having suicidal thoughts or you know someone who is, it is essential to seek help. Many countries have suicide crisis or prevention lines that offer free advice and support in such situations. If you live in the United States, you can reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by simply calling *** to receive free and confidential support 24/7. If you live in South Korea, you can call the suicide prevention hotline ***.