Number of live births in South Korea
South Korea: Number of live births was 230,028 births in 2023. ▼ Falling
Number of live births in South Korea, 2000–2023
Source: Human Fertility Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births.
Analysis
In 2023, number of live births in South Korea stood at 230,028 births. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of down 7.7% on the previous year and down 47.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of live births in South Korea peaked at 640,089 births in 2000 and was at its lowest, 230,028 births, in 2023.
South Korea ranks 12th of 34 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Number of live births in South Korea, year by year
| Year | births | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 640,089 births | — |
| 2001 | 559,934 births | -12.5% |
| 2002 | 496,911 births | -11.3% |
| 2003 | 495,036 births | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 476,958 births | -3.7% |
| 2005 | 438,707 births | -8.0% |
| 2006 | 451,759 births | +3.0% |
| 2007 | 496,822 births | +10.0% |
| 2008 | 465,892 births | -6.2% |
| 2009 | 444,849 births | -4.5% |
| 2010 | 470,171 births | +5.7% |
| 2011 | 471,265 births | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 484,550 births | +2.8% |
| 2013 | 436,455 births | -9.9% |
| 2014 | 435,435 births | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 438,420 births | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 406,243 births | -7.3% |
| 2017 | 357,771 births | -11.9% |
| 2018 | 326,822 births | -8.7% |
| 2019 | 302,676 births | -7.4% |
| 2020 | 272,337 births | -10.0% |
| 2021 | 260,562 births | -4.3% |
| 2022 | 249,186 births | -4.4% |
| 2023 | 230,028 births | -7.7% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 230,028 births is above the median for high income countries, which is 98,451 births, 2.3× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 496,696 births | 438,707 births | 640,089 births | 10 |
| 2010s | 412,981 births | 302,676 births | 484,550 births | 10 |
| 2020s | 253,028 births | 230,028 births | 272,337 births | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More population data for South Korea
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -1.17 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run 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 regions with projections, annual growth rate -1.44 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -1.4% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 599,530 people (2100)
- Population density 223.86 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -1.4% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.3601 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, per capita 0.1882 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of live births in South Korea?
- Number of live births in South Korea was 230,028 births in 2023, according to Human Fertility Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of live births recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 640,089 births in 2000.
- What is the lowest number of live births recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 230,028 births in 2023.
- How does South Korea rank for number of live births?
- South Korea ranks 12th out of 34 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of live births rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 47.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Human Fertility Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of live births. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total number of live births recorded in a given year.