Statizoid

Population in South Korea

South Korea: Population was 51.75 million people in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
51.75 million people
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
29th
of 238 countries
All-time high
51.86 million people
in 2020
All-time low
1.60 million people
in 1000
Years of data
241
1000–2023

Population in South Korea, 1000–2023

020.0M40.0M60.0M100015112023

Source: HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

In 2023, population in South Korea stood at 51.75 million people.

That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and up 3.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population in South Korea peaked at 51.86 million people in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.60 million people, in 1000.

South Korea ranks 29th of 238 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1000s 1.60 million people 1.60 million people 1.60 million people 1
1100s 1.92 million people 1.92 million people 1.92 million people 1
1200s 2.56 million people 2.56 million people 2.56 million people 1
1300s 1.92 million people 1.92 million people 1.92 million people 1
1400s 2.24 million people 2.24 million people 2.24 million people 1
1500s 2.56 million people 2.56 million people 2.56 million people 1
1600s 3.20 million people 3.20 million people 3.20 million people 1
1700s 4.00 million people 4.00 million people 4.00 million people 1
1710s 4.40 million people 4.40 million people 4.40 million people 1
1720s 4.71 million people 4.71 million people 4.71 million people 1
1730s 5.05 million people 5.05 million people 5.05 million people 1
1740s 5.41 million people 5.41 million people 5.41 million people 1
1750s 5.80 million people 5.80 million people 5.80 million people 1
1760s 6.21 million people 6.21 million people 6.21 million people 1
1770s 6.65 million people 6.65 million people 6.65 million people 1
1780s 7.13 million people 7.13 million people 7.13 million people 1
1790s 7.64 million people 7.64 million people 7.64 million people 1
1800s 9.39 million people 9.39 million people 9.39 million people 10
1810s 9.40 million people 9.39 million people 9.40 million people 10
1820s 9.42 million people 9.40 million people 9.44 million people 10
1830s 9.47 million people 9.44 million people 9.49 million people 10
1840s 9.52 million people 9.49 million people 9.54 million people 10
1850s 9.57 million people 9.55 million people 9.60 million people 10
1860s 9.63 million people 9.61 million people 9.66 million people 10
1870s 9.67 million people 9.66 million people 9.67 million people 10
1880s 9.67 million people 9.67 million people 9.67 million people 10
1890s 9.68 million people 9.68 million people 9.68 million people 10
1900s 9.75 million people 9.69 million people 9.84 million people 10
1910s 10.55 million people 9.91 million people 11.28 million people 10
1920s 12.35 million people 11.46 million people 13.26 million people 10
1930s 14.23 million people 13.46 million people 15.05 million people 10
1940s 17.36 million people 15.33 million people 19.63 million people 10
1950s 22.05 million people 19.76 million people 25.30 million people 10
1960s 29.00 million people 26.12 million people 31.85 million people 10
1970s 35.37 million people 32.54 million people 37.71 million people 10
1980s 40.84 million people 38.14 million people 43.52 million people 10
1990s 45.29 million people 44.08 million people 46.50 million people 10
2000s 47.73 million people 46.77 million people 48.55 million people 10
2010s 50.53 million people 48.77 million people 51.77 million people 10
2020s 51.81 million people 51.75 million people 51.86 million people 4

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 26 Kenya 55.34 million people compare
  2. 27 Myanmar 54.13 million people compare
  3. 28 Colombia 52.32 million people compare
  4. 30 Sudan 50.04 million people compare
  5. 31 Uganda 48.66 million people compare
  6. 32 Spain 47.91 million people compare

See the full ranking of 239 places →

More population data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is population in South Korea?
Population in South Korea was 51.75 million people in 2023, according to HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest population recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 51.86 million people in 2020.
What is the lowest population recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 1.60 million people in 1000.
How does South Korea rank for population?
South Korea ranks 29th out of 238 countries with data for 2023.
Is population 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 volatile.
Where does this South Korea data come from?
The figures come from HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 241 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Population
Unit
people
Source
HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
239 places, 51,002 data points, 1000–2023
Last refreshed

Population by country, available from 10,000 BCE to 2023, based on data and estimates from different sources.