Rural population in Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea: Rural population was 18.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
18.8%
Change on year
down 0.0%
World rank
156th
of 214 countries
All-time high
59.3%
in 1970
All-time low
18.0%
in 2010
Years of data
55
1970–2024
Rural population in Republic of Korea, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population in Republic of Korea is 18.8%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Republic of Korea peaked at 59.3% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 18.0%, in 2010.
Republic of Korea ranks 156th of 214 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Rural population in Republic of Korea, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 59.3% | — |
| 1971 | 57.7% | -2.8% |
| 1972 | 56.2% | -2.5% |
| 1973 | 54.9% | -2.4% |
| 1974 | 53.5% | -2.5% |
| 1975 | 52.0% | -2.7% |
| 1976 | 50.4% | -3.1% |
| 1977 | 48.7% | -3.4% |
| 1978 | 46.9% | -3.7% |
| 1979 | 45.1% | -3.8% |
| 1980 | 43.3% | -3.9% |
| 1981 | 41.7% | -3.9% |
| 1982 | 40.0% | -3.9% |
| 1983 | 38.5% | -4.0% |
| 1984 | 36.9% | -4.2% |
| 1985 | 35.2% | -4.5% |
| 1986 | 33.4% | -5.1% |
| 1987 | 31.4% | -5.9% |
| 1988 | 29.4% | -6.4% |
| 1989 | 27.5% | -6.4% |
| 1990 | 26.0% | -5.5% |
| 1991 | 24.8% | -4.5% |
| 1992 | 23.8% | -4.2% |
| 1993 | 22.9% | -3.8% |
| 1994 | 22.1% | -3.3% |
| 1995 | 21.6% | -2.4% |
| 1996 | 21.2% | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 21.0% | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 20.8% | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 20.6% | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 20.4% | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 20.1% | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 19.7% | -2.0% |
| 2003 | 19.3% | -2.2% |
| 2004 | 18.9% | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 18.6% | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 18.4% | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 18.3% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 18.2% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 18.1% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 18.0% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 18.0% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 18.1% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 18.2% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 18.3% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 18.4% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 18.4% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 18.5% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 18.6% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 18.7% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 18.8% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 18.8% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 18.8% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 18.8% | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 18.8% | -0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 52.5% | 45.1% | 59.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 35.7% | 27.5% | 43.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 22.5% | 20.6% | 26.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.0% | 18.1% | 20.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.3% | 18.0% | 18.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.8% | 18.8% | 18.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Korea
More population data for Republic of Korea
- 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)
- Fertility and wanted fertility, annual growth rate 3.74 % change on previous year (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum, gaps filled 4,241 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum, per capita 0.0001 units per person (2024)
- Fertility vs unmet contraception, annual growth rate 3.74 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Republic of Korea?
- Rural population in Republic of Korea was 18.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 59.3% in 1970.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.0% in 2010.
- How does Republic of Korea rank for rural population?
- Republic of Korea ranks 156th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Republic of Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release