Share of the population living in cities in South Korea
South Korea: Share of the population living in cities was 75.43 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
75.43
World rank
14th
of 236 countries
All-time high
75.43
in 2020
All-time low
33.47
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020
Share of the population living in cities in South Korea, 1950–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 75.43 for share of the population living in cities in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is up 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population living in cities in South Korea peaked at 75.43 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 33.47, in 1950.
South Korea ranks 14th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of the population living in cities in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 33.47 | — |
| 1955 | 37.47 | +11.9% |
| 1960 | 41.96 | +12.0% |
| 1965 | 48.44 | +15.4% |
| 1970 | 56.67 | +17.0% |
| 1975 | 64.11 | +13.1% |
| 1980 | 66.34 | +3.5% |
| 1985 | 68.67 | +3.5% |
| 1990 | 71.61 | +4.3% |
| 1995 | 72.79 | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 73.88 | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 74.9 | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 75.22 | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 75.16 | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 75.43 | +0.4% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 75.43 is above the median for high income countries, which is 31.97, 2.4× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 75.43 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 30.69, 2.5× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 35.47 | 33.47 | 37.47 | 2 |
| 1960s | 45.2 | 41.96 | 48.44 | 2 |
| 1970s | 60.39 | 56.67 | 64.11 | 2 |
| 1980s | 67.5 | 66.34 | 68.67 | 2 |
| 1990s | 72.2 | 71.61 | 72.79 | 2 |
| 2000s | 74.39 | 73.88 | 74.9 | 2 |
| 2010s | 75.19 | 75.16 | 75.22 | 2 |
| 2020s | 75.43 | 75.43 | 75.43 | 1 |
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 share of the population living in cities in South Korea?
- Share of the population living in cities in South Korea was 75.43 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population living in cities recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 75.43 in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population living in cities recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.47 in 1950.
- How does South Korea rank for share of the population living in cities?
- South Korea ranks 14th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population living in cities rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.3%. 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 Share of the population living in cities. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).