Share urban and rural population in South Korea
South Korea: Share urban and rural population was 81.17 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
81.17
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
65th
of 236 countries
All-time high
81.97
in 2010
All-time low
20.55
in 1950
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Share urban and rural population in South Korea, 1950–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 81.17 for share urban and rural population in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share urban and rural population in South Korea peaked at 81.97 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 20.55, in 1950.
South Korea ranks 65th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 76 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 23.89 | 20.55 | 26.98 | 10 |
| 1960s | 32.13 | 27.69 | 38.71 | 10 |
| 1970s | 47.53 | 40.71 | 54.9 | 10 |
| 1980s | 64.26 | 56.66 | 72.47 | 10 |
| 1990s | 77.5 | 73.99 | 79.36 | 10 |
| 2000s | 81 | 79.58 | 81.92 | 10 |
| 2010s | 81.67 | 81.29 | 81.97 | 10 |
| 2020s | 81.17 | 81.16 | 81.18 | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 62 Germany 82.14 compare
- 63 Falkland Islands 81.53 compare
- 64 Bahamas 81.33 compare
- 66 Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba 81.1 compare
- 67 Spain 80.51 compare
- 68 American Samoa 80.51 compare
More population data for South Korea
- 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 vs contraception 0.748 (2024)
- Fertility vs unmet contraception 0.748 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum 4,241 (2024)
- Fertility and wanted fertility 0.748 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs share that are religious 0.72 (2023)
- Effective fertility rate children per woman who are expected to surviv 0.7167 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share urban and rural population in South Korea?
- Share urban and rural population in South Korea was 81.17 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share urban and rural population recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 81.97 in 2010.
- What is the lowest share urban and rural population recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.55 in 1950.
- How does South Korea rank for share urban and rural population?
- South Korea ranks 65th out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share urban and rural population rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.6%. 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 urban and rural population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 76 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).