Military personnel as a share of total population in South Korea
South Korea: Military personnel as a share of total population was 1.07 in 2022. ▼ Falling
Military personnel as a share of total population in South Korea, 1949–2022
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2022, military personnel as a share of total population in South Korea stood at 1.07.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and down 19.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military personnel as a share of total population in South Korea peaked at 3.41 in 1955 and was at its lowest, 0.3416, in 1949.
That places South Korea 9th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Military personnel as a share of total population in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1949 | 0.3416 | — |
| 1950 | 0.5354 | +56.8% |
| 1951 | 0.969 | +81.0% |
| 1952 | 1.65 | +70.4% |
| 1953 | 2.46 | +48.7% |
| 1954 | 3.01 | +22.7% |
| 1955 | 3.41 | +13.1% |
| 1956 | 2.95 | -13.5% |
| 1957 | 2.87 | -2.8% |
| 1958 | 2.79 | -2.8% |
| 1959 | 2.71 | -2.8% |
| 1960 | 2.6 | -4.0% |
| 1961 | 2.21 | -14.9% |
| 1962 | 2.15 | -2.8% |
| 1963 | 2.3 | +7.0% |
| 1964 | 2.14 | -6.8% |
| 1965 | 2.1 | -1.9% |
| 1966 | 1.94 | -7.6% |
| 1967 | 2.03 | +4.5% |
| 1968 | 2.01 | -1.0% |
| 1969 | 1.97 | -2.2% |
| 1970 | 2 | +1.8% |
| 1971 | 1.94 | -3.0% |
| 1972 | 1.9 | -2.3% |
| 1973 | 1.86 | -1.9% |
| 1974 | 1.83 | -1.7% |
| 1975 | 1.79 | -2.3% |
| 1976 | 1.7 | -4.7% |
| 1977 | 1.65 | -3.2% |
| 1978 | 1.62 | -1.5% |
| 1979 | 1.7 | +4.7% |
| 1980 | 1.57 | -7.4% |
| 1981 | 1.56 | -0.6% |
| 1982 | 1.53 | -2.3% |
| 1983 | 1.51 | -1.3% |
| 1984 | 1.49 | -1.2% |
| 1985 | 1.47 | -1.3% |
| 1986 | 1.47 | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 1.45 | -1.0% |
| 1988 | 1.49 | +2.6% |
| 1989 | 1.52 | +2.3% |
| 1990 | 1.52 | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 1.73 | +14.2% |
| 1992 | 1.71 | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 1.7 | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 1.68 | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 1.66 | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 1.47 | -11.6% |
| 1997 | 1.46 | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 1.45 | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 1.43 | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 1.46 | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 1.44 | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 1.48 | +2.5% |
| 2003 | 1.47 | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 1.47 | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 1.46 | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 1.45 | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 1.44 | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 1.44 | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 1.43 | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 1.42 | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 1.34 | -5.2% |
| 2012 | 1.34 | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 1.31 | -2.3% |
| 2014 | 1.3 | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 1.29 | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 1.24 | -4.5% |
| 2017 | 1.22 | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 1.21 | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 1.21 | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 1.16 | -4.3% |
| 2021 | 1.07 | -7.3% |
| 2022 | 1.07 | +0.1% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 1.07 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.3016, 3.6× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 1.07 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.1865, 5.7× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military personnel as a share of total population in South Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | +81.0% | 0.5354 | 0.969 |
| 1952 | +70.4% | 0.969 | 1.65 |
| 1950 | +56.8% | 0.3416 | 0.5354 |
| 1953 | +48.7% | 1.65 | 2.46 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 0.3416 | 0.3416 | 0.3416 | 1 |
| 1950s | 2.33 | 0.5354 | 3.41 | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.15 | 1.94 | 2.6 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.8 | 1.62 | 2 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.51 | 1.45 | 1.57 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.58 | 1.43 | 1.73 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.45 | 1.43 | 1.48 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.29 | 1.21 | 1.42 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.1 | 1.07 | 1.16 | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More population data for South Korea
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -1.44 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -2.17 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -1.44 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -1.17 % change on previous year (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.3601 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate -1.45 (2100)
- Population density 223.86 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 599,530 (2100)
- Population growth rate by level of development -1.45 (2100)
- Urbanization vs gdp, annual growth rate 0.007 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military personnel as a share of total population in South Korea?
- Military personnel as a share of total population in South Korea was 1.07 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military personnel as a share of total population recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 3.41 in 1955.
- What is the lowest military personnel as a share of total population recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3416 in 1949.
- How does South Korea rank for military personnel as a share of total population?
- South Korea ranks 9th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is military personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Military personnel as a share of total population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).