Population, Persons for countries / Index for country groups in Republic of Korea

Republic of Korea: Population, Persons for countries / Index for country groups was 51.22 million in 2031. ▲ Rising

Latest (2031)
51.22 million
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
9th
of 26 countries
All-time high
51.84 million
in 2020
All-time low
38.12 million
in 1980
Years of data
52
1980–2031

Population, Persons for countries / Index for country groups in Republic of Korea, 1980–2031

020.0M40.0M60.0M198020052031

Source: International Monetary Fund.

Analysis

In 2031, population, persons for countries / index for country groups in Republic of Korea stood at 51.22 million.

That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and down 1.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population, persons for countries / index for country groups in Republic of Korea peaked at 51.84 million in 2020 and was at its lowest, 38.12 million, in 1980.

That places Republic of Korea 9th out of 26 countries with data for 2031, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 40.46 million 38.12 million 42.45 million 10
1990s 44.82 million 42.87 million 46.62 million 10
2000s 48.17 million 47.01 million 49.31 million 10
2010s 50.78 million 49.55 million 51.76 million 10
2020s 51.64 million 51.38 million 51.84 million 10
2030s 51.27 million 51.22 million 51.31 million 2

Countries ranked near Republic of Korea

  1. 6 Türkiye 88.34 million compare
  2. 7 Thailand 71.10 million compare
  3. 8 Spain 52.28 million compare
  4. 10 Saudi Arabia 40.55 million compare
  5. 11 Ghana 38.86 million compare
  6. 12 Poland 35.84 million compare

See the full ranking of 26 places →

More population data for Republic of Korea

All data for Republic of Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is population, persons for countries / index for country groups in Republic of Korea?
Population, persons for countries / index for country groups in Republic of Korea was 51.22 million in 2031, according to International Monetary Fund.
What is the highest population, persons for countries / index for country groups recorded in Republic of Korea?
The highest recorded value was 51.84 million in 2020.
What is the lowest population, persons for countries / index for country groups recorded in Republic of Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 38.12 million in 1980.
How does Republic of Korea rank for population, persons for countries / index for country groups?
Republic of Korea ranks 9th out of 26 countries with data for 2031.
Is population, persons for countries / index for country groups rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Republic of Korea data come from?
The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Population, Persons for countries / Index for country groups (9/26/2025). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Population, Persons for countries / Index for country groups in Republic of Korea. Statizoid, drawing on International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 21 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/population-persons-for-countries-index-for-country-groups-9-26-2025/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Population, Persons for countries / Index for country groups (9/26/2025)
Source
International Monetary Fund
Licence
IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
26 places, 1,287 data points, 1980–2031
Last refreshed

The World Economic Outlook (WEO) database is created during the biannual WEO exercise, which begins in January and June of each year and results in the April and September/October WEO publication. Selected series from the publication are available in a database format.