China vs South Korea: World population growth
China
-1.7%
in 2100
South Korea
-1.4%
in 2100
China rank
235th
South Korea rank
233rd
World population growth over time
- China
- South Korea
How they compare
South Korea currently reports -1.4% against -1.7% in China, a difference of 0.3%.
The two have swapped places 14 times across 163 shared years of data; in 1700 it was South Korea ahead.
China ranks 235th and South Korea ranks 233rd of 239 countries.
Across the 23 decades both report, China averaged higher in 11 and South Korea in 12.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1700s | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.2% | South Korea |
| 1800s | 0.6% | 0.3% | 0.3% | China |
| 1900s | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.4% | China |
| 1910s | 0.9% | 1.1% | 0.2% | South Korea |
| 1920s | 0.6% | 1.6% | 1.0% | South Korea |
| 1930s | 0.5% | 1.3% | 0.8% | South Korea |
| 1940s | 0.5% | 2.4% | 1.8% | South Korea |
| 1950s | 1.9% | 2.6% | 0.7% | South Korea |
| 1960s | 2.2% | 2.2% | 0.1% | South Korea |
| 1970s | 1.8% | 1.6% | 0.2% | China |
| 1980s | 1.6% | 1.4% | 0.1% | China |
| 1990s | 1.0% | 0.6% | 0.4% | China |
| 2000s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.2% | China |
| 2010s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.1% | South Korea |
| 2020s | -0.2% | -0.1% | 0.1% | South Korea |
| 2030s | -0.4% | -0.4% | 0.0% | China |
| 2040s | -0.6% | -0.8% | 0.2% | China |
| 2050s | -1.0% | -1.2% | 0.2% | China |
| 2060s | -1.3% | -1.5% | 0.2% | China |
| 2070s | -1.4% | -1.5% | 0.1% | China |
| 2080s | -1.6% | -1.5% | 0.0% | South Korea |
| 2090s | -1.6% | -1.5% | 0.1% | South Korea |
| 2100s | -1.7% | -1.4% | 0.2% | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher world population growth, China or South Korea?
- South Korea, at -1.4% against -1.7% in China as of 2100.
- What is the difference in world population growth between China and South Korea?
- 0.3%, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and South Korea?
- 163 years are reported by both, from 1700 to 2100.
- How do China and South Korea rank globally for world population growth?
- China ranks 235th and South Korea ranks 233rd of 239 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as World population growth. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Average exponential rate of growth of the population over a given period. It is calculated as ln(P2/P1) where P1 and P2 are the populations on subsequent years. Available from 1700 to 2100, based on data and estimates from different sources.