Population unwpp in South Korea
South Korea: Population unwpp was 51.75 million in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
51.75 million
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
29th
of 236 countries
All-time high
51.86 million
in 2020
All-time low
19.76 million
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Population unwpp in South Korea, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population unwpp in South Korea is 51.75 million, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population unwpp in South Korea peaked at 51.86 million in 2020 and was at its lowest, 19.76 million, in 1950.
That places South Korea 29th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Population unwpp in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 19.76 million | — |
| 1951 | 19.87 million | +0.6% |
| 1952 | 20.23 million | +1.8% |
| 1953 | 20.78 million | +2.7% |
| 1954 | 21.42 million | +3.1% |
| 1955 | 22.13 million | +3.3% |
| 1956 | 22.87 million | +3.4% |
| 1957 | 23.66 million | +3.4% |
| 1958 | 24.47 million | +3.4% |
| 1959 | 25.30 million | +3.4% |
| 1960 | 26.12 million | +3.2% |
| 1961 | 26.85 million | +2.8% |
| 1962 | 27.51 million | +2.4% |
| 1963 | 28.15 million | +2.3% |
| 1964 | 28.75 million | +2.1% |
| 1965 | 29.28 million | +1.9% |
| 1966 | 29.85 million | +1.9% |
| 1967 | 30.50 million | +2.2% |
| 1968 | 31.18 million | +2.2% |
| 1969 | 31.85 million | +2.2% |
| 1970 | 32.54 million | +2.2% |
| 1971 | 33.24 million | +2.1% |
| 1972 | 33.94 million | +2.1% |
| 1973 | 34.63 million | +2.0% |
| 1974 | 35.29 million | +1.9% |
| 1975 | 35.88 million | +1.7% |
| 1976 | 36.38 million | +1.4% |
| 1977 | 36.84 million | +1.3% |
| 1978 | 37.28 million | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 37.71 million | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 38.14 million | +1.1% |
| 1981 | 38.69 million | +1.4% |
| 1982 | 39.36 million | +1.7% |
| 1983 | 40.00 million | +1.6% |
| 1984 | 40.60 million | +1.5% |
| 1985 | 41.15 million | +1.4% |
| 1986 | 41.72 million | +1.4% |
| 1987 | 42.32 million | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 42.92 million | +1.4% |
| 1989 | 43.52 million | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 44.08 million | +1.3% |
| 1991 | 44.44 million | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 44.65 million | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 44.89 million | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 45.13 million | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 45.37 million | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 45.64 million | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 45.94 million | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 46.23 million | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 46.50 million | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 46.77 million | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 47.04 million | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 47.30 million | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 47.51 million | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 47.70 million | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 47.85 million | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 48.01 million | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 48.18 million | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 48.36 million | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 48.55 million | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 48.77 million | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 49.13 million | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 49.60 million | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 50.07 million | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 50.54 million | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 50.98 million | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 51.30 million | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 51.49 million | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 51.64 million | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 51.77 million | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 51.86 million | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 51.85 million | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 51.78 million | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 51.75 million | -0.1% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 51.75 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.98 million, 17.4× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 51.75 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.38 million, 37.4× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 22.05 million | 19.76 million | 25.30 million | 10 |
| 1960s | 29.00 million | 26.12 million | 31.85 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 35.37 million | 32.54 million | 37.71 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 40.84 million | 38.14 million | 43.52 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 45.29 million | 44.08 million | 46.50 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 47.73 million | 46.77 million | 48.55 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 50.53 million | 48.77 million | 51.77 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 51.81 million | 51.75 million | 51.86 million | 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)
- 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 population unwpp in South Korea?
- Population unwpp in South Korea was 51.75 million in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population unwpp recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 51.86 million in 2020.
- What is the lowest population unwpp recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.76 million in 1950.
- How does South Korea rank for population unwpp?
- South Korea ranks 29th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population unwpp rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Population unwpp. 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).