Population by age group in South Korea
South Korea: Population by age group was 1.36 million people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.36 million people
Change on year
down 7.2%
World rank
74th
of 236 countries
All-time high
4.96 million people
in 1963
All-time low
1.36 million people
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Population by age group in South Korea, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population by age group in South Korea is 1.36 million people, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is down 7.2% on the previous year and down 40.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population by age group in South Korea peaked at 4.96 million people in 1963 and was at its lowest, 1.36 million people, in 2023.
That places South Korea 74th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Population by age group in South Korea, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3.19 million people | — |
| 1951 | 3.15 million people | -1.3% |
| 1952 | 3.16 million people | +0.5% |
| 1953 | 3.26 million people | +3.0% |
| 1954 | 3.41 million people | +4.6% |
| 1955 | 3.60 million people | +5.7% |
| 1956 | 3.82 million people | +6.0% |
| 1957 | 4.04 million people | +5.7% |
| 1958 | 4.25 million people | +5.2% |
| 1959 | 4.45 million people | +4.7% |
| 1960 | 4.64 million people | +4.2% |
| 1961 | 4.79 million people | +3.4% |
| 1962 | 4.91 million people | +2.4% |
| 1963 | 4.96 million people | +1.1% |
| 1964 | 4.94 million people | -0.4% |
| 1965 | 4.84 million people | -2.0% |
| 1966 | 4.73 million people | -2.4% |
| 1967 | 4.64 million people | -1.8% |
| 1968 | 4.56 million people | -1.7% |
| 1969 | 4.52 million people | -0.9% |
| 1970 | 4.55 million people | +0.5% |
| 1971 | 4.59 million people | +1.0% |
| 1972 | 4.64 million people | +1.0% |
| 1973 | 4.67 million people | +0.7% |
| 1974 | 4.65 million people | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 4.55 million people | -2.3% |
| 1976 | 4.38 million people | -3.6% |
| 1977 | 4.23 million people | -3.5% |
| 1978 | 4.10 million people | -3.1% |
| 1979 | 4.01 million people | -2.2% |
| 1980 | 3.95 million people | -1.5% |
| 1981 | 3.95 million people | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 4.00 million people | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 4.03 million people | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 4.00 million people | -0.7% |
| 1985 | 3.87 million people | -3.2% |
| 1986 | 3.70 million people | -4.4% |
| 1987 | 3.55 million people | -4.0% |
| 1988 | 3.45 million people | -2.9% |
| 1989 | 3.40 million people | -1.4% |
| 1990 | 3.37 million people | -0.8% |
| 1991 | 3.34 million people | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 3.34 million people | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 3.38 million people | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 3.44 million people | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 3.50 million people | +1.6% |
| 1996 | 3.50 million people | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 3.46 million people | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 3.39 million people | -2.0% |
| 1999 | 3.31 million people | -2.3% |
| 2000 | 3.23 million people | -2.4% |
| 2001 | 3.13 million people | -3.1% |
| 2002 | 3.00 million people | -4.3% |
| 2003 | 2.85 million people | -5.0% |
| 2004 | 2.69 million people | -5.4% |
| 2005 | 2.52 million people | -6.5% |
| 2006 | 2.36 million people | -6.3% |
| 2007 | 2.28 million people | -3.6% |
| 2008 | 2.24 million people | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 2.23 million people | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 2.26 million people | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 2.28 million people | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 2.28 million people | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 2.28 million people | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 2.27 million people | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 2.26 million people | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 2.21 million people | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 2.10 million people | -4.6% |
| 2018 | 1.99 million people | -5.2% |
| 2019 | 1.89 million people | -5.4% |
| 2020 | 1.75 million people | -7.3% |
| 2021 | 1.59 million people | -8.9% |
| 2022 | 1.46 million people | -8.1% |
| 2023 | 1.36 million people | -7.2% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 1.36 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 127,928 people, 10.6× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 1.36 million people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 156,933 people, 8.7× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.63 million people | 3.15 million people | 4.45 million people | 10 |
| 1960s | 4.75 million people | 4.52 million people | 4.96 million people | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.44 million people | 4.01 million people | 4.67 million people | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.79 million people | 3.40 million people | 4.03 million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.40 million people | 3.31 million people | 3.50 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.65 million people | 2.23 million people | 3.23 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.18 million people | 1.89 million people | 2.28 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.54 million people | 1.36 million people | 1.75 million people | 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 population by age group in South Korea?
- Population by age group in South Korea was 1.36 million people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population by age group recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 4.96 million people in 1963.
- What is the lowest population by age group recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.36 million people in 2023.
- How does South Korea rank for population by age group?
- South Korea ranks 74th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population by age group rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Population by age group. 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
Total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown. This only includes people aged 0-4.