Share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. GDP per capita in Korea
Korea: Share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. GDP per capita was 90.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. GDP per capita in Korea, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. gdp per capita in Korea stood at 90.1%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. gdp per capita in Korea peaked at 90.2% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 71.1%, in 1950.
That places Korea 32nd out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. GDP per capita in Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 71.1% | — |
| 1955 | 73.6% | +3.6% |
| 1960 | 77.3% | +5.0% |
| 1965 | 79.9% | +3.4% |
| 1970 | 82.0% | +2.6% |
| 1975 | 83.8% | +2.2% |
| 1980 | 84.5% | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 85.3% | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 86.7% | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 87.7% | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 88.6% | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 89.4% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 90.0% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 90.2% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 90.1% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 72.3% | 71.1% | 73.6% | 2 |
| 1960s | 78.6% | 77.3% | 79.9% | 2 |
| 1970s | 82.9% | 82.0% | 83.8% | 2 |
| 1980s | 84.9% | 84.5% | 85.3% | 2 |
| 1990s | 87.2% | 86.7% | 87.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 89.0% | 88.6% | 89.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 90.1% | 90.0% | 90.2% | 2 |
| 2020s | 90.1% | 90.1% | 90.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Korea
- 29 Jersey 90.8% compare
- 30 United Arab Emirates 90.3% compare
- 31 Western Sahara 90.1% compare
- 33 Djibouti 89.9% compare
- 34 Saint Martin (French Part) 89.7% compare
- 35 Lebanon 89.6% compare
More population data for 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)
- World population growth -1.4% (2100)
- Population density 223.86 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 599,530 people (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -1.4% (2100)
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas, annual growth rate -0.0908 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. gdp per capita in Korea?
- Share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. gdp per capita in Korea was 90.1% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. gdp per capita recorded in Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 90.2% in 2015.
- What is the lowest share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. gdp per capita recorded in Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 71.1% in 1950.
- How does Korea rank for share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. gdp per capita?
- Korea ranks 32nd out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Korea data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities, towns and suburbs vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.