Total population in South Korea
South Korea: Total population was 51,697 thousands in 2025. β² Rising
Total population in South Korea, 1970β2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in thousands.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 51,697 thousands for total population in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total population in South Korea peaked at 51,891 thousands in 2021 and was at its lowest, 32,193 thousands, in 1970.
That places South Korea 28th out of 230 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 35,086 thousands | 32,193 thousands | 37,494 thousands | 10 |
| 1980s | 40,547 thousands | 37,928 thousands | 43,224 thousands | 10 |
| 1990s | 45,147 thousands | 43,826 thousands | 46,372 thousands | 10 |
| 2000s | 47,625 thousands | 46,629 thousands | 48,448 thousands | 10 |
| 2010s | 50,369 thousands | 48,646 thousands | 51,710 thousands | 10 |
| 2020s | 51,786 thousands | 51,697 thousands | 51,891 thousands | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More population data for South Korea
- Population growth rate by level of development -1.45 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 599,530 (2100)
- Population density 223.86 (2100)
- Population growth rate -1.45 (2100)
- Fertility and wanted fertility 0.748 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum 4,241 (2024)
- Fertility vs unmet contraception 0.748 (2024)
- Fertility vs contraception 0.748 (2024)
- Natural population growth -0.2109 (2023)
- Fertility rate with projections 0.72 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total population in South Korea?
- Total population in South Korea was 51,697 thousands in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest total population recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 51,891 thousands in 2021.
- What is the lowest total population recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 32,193 thousands in 1970.
- How does South Korea rank for total population?
- South Korea ranks 28th out of 230 countries with data for 2025.
- Is total population rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Total population (thousands). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release