Natural population growth rate in South Korea
South Korea: Natural population growth rate was -0.2% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Natural population growth rate in South Korea, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Korea recorded -0.2% for natural population growth rate in 2023.
That represents a change of up 18.5% on the previous year and down 163.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, natural population growth rate in South Korea peaked at 2.9% in 1959 and was at its lowest, -0.7%, in 1950.
South Korea ranks 203rd of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Natural population growth rate in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | -0.7% | — |
| 1951 | 0.3% | -138.7% |
| 1952 | 1.6% | +461.9% |
| 1953 | 2.0% | +25.8% |
| 1954 | 2.5% | +21.2% |
| 1955 | 2.6% | +6.7% |
| 1956 | 2.8% | +5.1% |
| 1957 | 2.9% | +3.9% |
| 1958 | 2.9% | +0.6% |
| 1959 | 2.9% | +1.5% |
| 1960 | 2.9% | -0.3% |
| 1961 | 2.8% | -2.6% |
| 1962 | 2.7% | -5.2% |
| 1963 | 2.5% | -6.4% |
| 1964 | 2.3% | -6.9% |
| 1965 | 2.2% | -4.7% |
| 1966 | 2.1% | -5.2% |
| 1967 | 2.3% | +8.4% |
| 1968 | 2.2% | -3.4% |
| 1969 | 2.2% | -0.8% |
| 1970 | 2.2% | +1.5% |
| 1971 | 2.1% | -5.4% |
| 1972 | 2.0% | -6.4% |
| 1973 | 1.9% | -5.7% |
| 1974 | 1.7% | -6.6% |
| 1975 | 1.6% | -6.3% |
| 1976 | 1.6% | -4.6% |
| 1977 | 1.5% | -5.4% |
| 1978 | 1.4% | -7.3% |
| 1979 | 1.5% | +11.3% |
| 1980 | 1.5% | -0.9% |
| 1981 | 1.7% | +11.7% |
| 1982 | 1.6% | -7.1% |
| 1983 | 1.3% | -16.3% |
| 1984 | 1.2% | -11.9% |
| 1985 | 1.1% | -8.5% |
| 1986 | 1.0% | -5.2% |
| 1987 | 1.0% | -5.0% |
| 1988 | 1.0% | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 1.0% | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 1.0% | +2.6% |
| 1991 | 1.1% | +9.0% |
| 1992 | 1.1% | +2.9% |
| 1993 | 1.0% | -5.6% |
| 1994 | 1.0% | -3.6% |
| 1995 | 1.0% | -2.9% |
| 1996 | 0.9% | -4.3% |
| 1997 | 0.9% | -4.9% |
| 1998 | 0.8% | -7.1% |
| 1999 | 0.8% | -4.4% |
| 2000 | 0.8% | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 0.7% | -15.4% |
| 2002 | 0.5% | -18.6% |
| 2003 | 0.5% | -9.0% |
| 2004 | 0.4% | -8.3% |
| 2005 | 0.4% | -11.0% |
| 2006 | 0.4% | +4.5% |
| 2007 | 0.4% | +9.1% |
| 2008 | 0.4% | -6.8% |
| 2009 | 0.4% | -5.3% |
| 2010 | 0.4% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 0.4% | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 0.4% | -4.0% |
| 2013 | 0.3% | -14.6% |
| 2014 | 0.3% | -5.0% |
| 2015 | 0.3% | -9.4% |
| 2016 | 0.2% | -22.3% |
| 2017 | 0.1% | -41.3% |
| 2018 | 0.0% | -70.7% |
| 2019 | -0.0% | -164.2% |
| 2020 | -0.1% | +270.7% |
| 2021 | -0.1% | +45.4% |
| 2022 | -0.3% | +95.2% |
| 2023 | -0.2% | -18.5% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's -0.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.1%. (85 countries reporting)
- South Korea's -0.2% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.8%. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Natural population growth rate 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | +461.9% | 0.3% | 1.6% |
| 2020 | -270.7% | -0.0% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | -164.2% | 0.0% | -0.0% |
| 1951 | +138.7% | -0.7% | 0.3% |
| 2022 | -95.2% | -0.1% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | -70.7% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.0% | -0.7% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.4% | 2.1% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.7% | 1.4% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2% | -0.0% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.2% | -0.3% | -0.1% | 4 |
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)
- World population growth -1.4% (2100)
- Population density 223.86 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 599,530 people (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -1.4% (2100)
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas, annual growth rate -0.0908 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is natural population growth rate in South Korea?
- Natural population growth rate in South Korea was -0.2% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest natural population growth rate recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 2.9% in 1959.
- What is the lowest natural population growth rate recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.7% in 1950.
- How does South Korea rank for natural population growth rate?
- South Korea ranks 203rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is natural population growth rate rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 163.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Natural population growth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Births minus deaths, as a share of the population. This is the part of population change that comes only from births and deaths, ignoring migration.