In 2023, the population density in South Korea stood at around *** inhabitants per square kilometer, slightly up from *** in the previous year. The nationwide population density has been increasing steadily over the past decades. The highest density was in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, with ****** people per square kilometer. UrbanizationSouth Korea was primarily an agricultural nation. In the decades following its independence from Japanese rule in 1945, both the dictatorships and democratic governments that governed South Korea focused on industrialization and modernization of the country. The urban population has grown by about **** million over the past 20 years, while the rural population has fallen by around *** million. In 2023, around ** percent of the population lived in an urban area. The most populous city SeoulSeoul’s high population density is not surprising. The capital city is typically grouped with the province of Gyeonggi, which resembles a donut with Seoul at its center, and the metropolitan port city of Incheon, collectively known as the Seoul Capital Area. This is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world and serves as the political, economic, and cultural center of South Korea. With more than **** millio* residents, half of South Korea’s population lives in this area.

Historical chart and dataset showing South Korea population density by year from 1961 to 2022.

In 2024, Seoul had the highest population density of all provinces in South Korea, with about ****** people per square kilometer. The port city of Busan, which lies 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, followed with about ***** residents per square kilometer. With 90 people per square kilometer, Gangwon was the province with the lowest population density. Population of Seoul The capital of South Korea, Seoul, is the country's largest city with a population of nearly 9.5 million people, meaning that about 20 percent of South Korea's total population live in Seoul. Together with the surrounding Gyeonggi Province and Incheon Metropolitan Area, the greater Seoul region (or Seoul Capital Area) is home to half of the total population of South Korea. This region also forms one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world. Solving the problem of overpopulation in Seoul One of the major problems stemming from overpopulation in Seoul is the housing shortage, leading to a significant surge in real estate prices. Over the past few years, several efforts have been made to curb the excessive population concentration and to solve the associated economic and social problems. In 2007, for example, former President Roh Moo-hyun attempted to move the country's administrative capital to Sejong, which is located 120 kilometers south of Seoul. Although the grand plan did not fully work out, around 40 central administrative agencies have since been moved from Seoul to Sejong, turning the city into the de facto administrative capital of South Korea.

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.

Population density (people per sq. km of land area) in South Korea was reported at 529 sq. Km in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Korea - Population density (people per sq. km) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on May of 2025.

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.

Korea Population Density: People per Square Km data was reported at 527.967 Person/sq km in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 525.705 Person/sq km for 2016. Korea Population Density: People per Square Km data is updated yearly, averaging 440.069 Person/sq km from Dec 1961 (Median) to 2017, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 527.967 Person/sq km in 2017 and a record low of 267.113 Person/sq km in 1961. Korea Population Density: People per Square Km 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 density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.; ; Food and Agriculture Organization and World Bank population estimates.; Weighted average;

In 2023, the population density in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, reached around 15,506 inhabitants per square kilometer. In 2015, the population density peaked at about 16,364 inhabitants per square kilometer and started to gradually decrease in the following years.

South Korea: Population density, in people per sq. mile: The latest value from is people per sq. mile, unavailable from people per sq. mile in . In comparison, the world average is 0 people per sq. mile, based on data from countries. Historically, the average for South Korea from to is people per sq. mile. The minimum value, people per sq. mile, was reached in while the maximum of people per sq. mile was recorded in .

In 2023, the population density in Busan, South Korea was around 4,252 inhabitants per square kilometer. The population density of Busan has been continuously decreasing.

South Korea Population Density: Inhabitants per sq km data was reported at 528.980 Person in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 530.170 Person for 2021. South Korea Population Density: Inhabitants per sq km data is updated yearly, averaging 499.980 Person from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2022, with 33 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 531.110 Person in 2020 and a record low of 444.430 Person in 1990. South Korea Population Density: Inhabitants per sq km data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Korea – Table KR.OECD.GGI: Social: Demography: OECD Member: Annual.

The population of the world, allocated to 1 arcsecond blocks. This refines CIESIN’s Gridded Population of the World project, using machine learning models on high-resolution worldwide Digital Globe satellite imagery.

The statistic shows the total population of South Korea from 2020 to 2024, with projections up until 2030. In 2024, the total population of South Korea was about 51.75 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.

Forecast: Rail Lines Density in South Korea 2022 - 2026 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Forecast: Density of Practising Dentists in South Korea 2023 - 2027 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

South Korea Density of Road: km per One Hundred sq. km data was reported at 117.125 km/100 sq km in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 116.194 km/100 sq km for 2022. South Korea Density of Road: km per One Hundred sq. km data is updated yearly, averaging 106.805 km/100 sq km from Dec 1994 (Median) to 2023, with 30 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 117.125 km/100 sq km in 2023 and a record low of 63.543 km/100 sq km in 1994. South Korea Density of Road: km per One Hundred sq. km data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Korea – Table KR.OECD.ITF: Transport Infrastructure, Investment and Maintenance: OECD Member: Annual. [COVERAGE] LENGTH OF ROADS The road network is all roads in a given area. A road is a line of communication (travelled way) open to public traffic, primarily for the use of road motor vehicles, using a stabilised base other than rails or air strips. Paved roads and other roads with a stabilised base, e.g. gravel roads, are included. Roads also cover streets, bridges, tunnels, supporting structures, junctions, crossings and interchanges. Toll roads are also included. Dedicated cycle lanes are not included. [STAT_CONC_DEF] LENGTH OF ROADS The length of the road is the distance between its start and end point. If one of the directions of the carriageway is longer than the other then the length is calculated as the sum of half of the distances of each direction of the carriageway from first entry point to last exit point.

Korea New Business Density: New Registrations per 1000 People Aged 15 to 64 data was reported at 2.582 Number in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 2.522 Number for 2015. Korea New Business Density: New Registrations per 1000 People Aged 15 to 64 data is updated yearly, averaging 1.796 Number from Dec 2006 (Median) to 2016, with 11 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.582 Number in 2016 and a record low of 1.428 Number in 2008. Korea New Business Density: New Registrations per 1000 People Aged 15 to 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: Businesses Registered Statistics. New businesses registered are the number of new limited liability corporations registered in the calendar year.; ; World Bank's Entrepreneurship Survey and database (http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploretopics/entrepreneurship).; Unweighted average; For cross-country comparability, only limited liability corporations that operate in the formal sector are included.

Population density (people per sq. km of land area) in North Korea was reported at 219 sq. Km in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. North Korea - Population density (people per sq. km) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Forecast: Density of Computed Tomography Scanners in South Korea 2022 - 2026 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

In 2021, there were approximately 2.56 doctors for every 1,000 inhabitants in South Korea. This was a slight increase compared to the preceding year. This ratio has increased steadily since 2000, with the exception of a slight drop in 2004. However, South Korea still has few doctors relative to its population. The OECD average was 3.3 doctors per 1,000 people, and among the full OECD member countries, only Mexico and Turkey had lower ratios. According to OECD data, key partners China, Brazil, India, South Africa, and Indonesia have ratios lower than Korea. At the other end of the spectrum is Austria with 5.48 doctors per 1,000 people, followed by Norway with 5.16 and Germany with 4.53. Shortage of medical staffs The Korean government officially declared a shortage of several thousand doctors across the nation and recommended the training of an additional 150 doctors every year to make up the shortfall. Furthermore, doctors of traditional Korean medicine are counted among the number of doctors, meaning there are even fewer doctors of modern medical sciences than official figures suggest. Yet there are several factors, such as resistance from doctors, preventing the government from simply increasing the number of medical graduates. Regional imbalances in the medical environmentSome experts refute the government’s claims that Korea faces a doctor shortage and point towards other factors. For example, Korea has a higher population density than other countries, meaning that the average Korean doctor meets with more patients than an Austrian or Norwegian one would. Indeed, half the population is concentrated in the Seoul Capital Area. Additionally, Koreans see doctors around 19 times a year on average, which is far more frequently than any other OECD nationals. Despite this, Korea spends a lower share of its GDP on medical expenditures than other OECD countries, implying that medical personnel do more work for less financial compensation. Regional disparities where doctors are concentrated in Seoul and other major cities is also an issue. The doctor-to-people ratio in Seoul is higher than the national ratio, and the same as the OECD average. Many argue that a shortage of nurses is a greater concern than an alleged shortage of doctors. While the number of trained nurses is adequate, many leave because of harsh working conditions.