Rank #101 by World Population

🇰🇷Korea, Rep.

Korea, Rep. has a population of 51,712,619, ranking #101 in the world. The capital is Seoul. Located in East Asia & Pacific.

World Bank: High income

51,712,619

Population

#101

World Rank

83.4

Life Expectancy

$35,674

GDP Per Capita

Korea, Rep., #101 by world population

Korea, Rep. Population History (1960-2024)

The country of Korea, Rep. had a population of 25,012,374 in 1960 and 51,751,065 in 2024, a 2.1× growth over 64 years. The peak was 51,836,239 in 2020. Average annual growth rate: 1.15%.

Korea, Rep. population, 1960–2024 · Source: U.S. Census Bureau — decennial census & Population Estimates

51,751,065

Population (2024)

25,012,374

Population (1960)

51,836,239

Peak (2020)

1.15%

Avg Annual Growth

Year	Population	Change	Annual %	Source
1960	25,012,374	-	-	estimate
1961	25,765,673	+753,299	+3.01%	estimate
1962	26,513,030	+747,357	+2.90%	estimate
1963	27,261,747	+748,717	+2.82%	estimate
1964	27,984,155	+722,408	+2.65%	estimate
1965	28,704,674	+720,519	+2.57%	estimate
1966	29,435,571	+730,897	+2.55%	estimate
1967	30,130,983	+695,412	+2.36%	estimate
1968	30,838,302	+707,319	+2.35%	estimate
1969	31,544,266	+705,964	+2.29%	estimate
1970	32,240,827	+696,561	+2.21%	estimate
1971	32,882,704	+641,877	+1.99%	estimate
1972	33,505,406	+622,702	+1.89%	estimate
1973	34,103,149	+597,743	+1.78%	estimate
1974	34,692,266	+589,117	+1.73%	estimate
1975	35,280,725	+588,459	+1.70%	estimate
1976	35,848,523	+567,798	+1.61%	estimate
1977	36,411,795	+563,272	+1.57%	estimate
1978	36,969,185	+557,390	+1.53%	estimate
1979	37,534,236	+565,051	+1.53%	estimate
1980	38,123,775	+589,539	+1.57%	estimate
1981	38,723,248	+599,473	+1.57%	estimate
1982	39,326,352	+603,104	+1.56%	estimate
1983	39,910,403	+584,051	+1.49%	estimate
1984	40,405,956	+495,553	+1.24%	estimate
1985	40,805,744	+399,788	+0.99%	estimate
1986	41,213,674	+407,930	+1.00%	estimate
1987	41,621,690	+408,016	+0.99%	estimate
1988	42,031,247	+409,557	+0.98%	estimate
1989	42,449,038	+417,791	+0.99%	estimate
1990	42,869,283	+420,245	+0.99%	estimate
1991	43,295,704	+426,421	+0.99%	estimate
1992	43,747,962	+452,258	+1.04%	estimate
1993	44,194,628	+446,666	+1.02%	estimate
1994	44,641,540	+446,912	+1.01%	estimate
1995	45,092,991	+451,451	+1.01%	estimate
1996	45,524,681	+431,690	+0.96%	estimate
1997	45,953,580	+428,899	+0.94%	estimate
1998	46,286,503	+332,923	+0.72%	estimate
1999	46,616,677	+330,174	+0.71%	estimate
2000	47,008,111	+391,434	+0.84%	estimate
2001	47,370,164	+362,053	+0.77%	estimate
2002	47,644,736	+274,572	+0.58%	estimate
2003	47,892,330	+247,594	+0.52%	estimate
2004	48,082,519	+190,189	+0.40%	estimate
2005	48,184,561	+102,042	+0.21%	estimate
2006	48,438,292	+253,731	+0.53%	estimate
2007	48,683,638	+245,346	+0.51%	estimate
2008	49,054,708	+371,070	+0.76%	estimate
2009	49,307,835	+253,127	+0.52%	estimate
2010	49,554,112	+246,277	+0.50%	estimate
2011	49,936,638	+382,526	+0.77%	estimate
2012	50,199,853	+263,215	+0.53%	estimate
2013	50,428,893	+229,040	+0.46%	estimate
2014	50,746,659	+317,766	+0.63%	estimate
2015	51,014,947	+268,288	+0.53%	estimate
2016	51,217,803	+202,856	+0.40%	estimate
2017	51,361,911	+144,108	+0.28%	estimate
2018	51,585,058	+223,147	+0.43%	estimate
2019	51,764,822	+179,764	+0.35%	estimate
2020	51,836,239	+71,417	+0.14%	estimate
2021	51,769,539	-66,700	-0.13%	estimate
2022	51,672,569	-96,970	-0.19%	estimate
2023	51,712,619	+40,050	+0.08%	estimate
2024	51,751,065	+38,446	+0.07%	estimate

Demographics

Population	51,712,619
Population Growth Rate	0.08%
Urban Population	81.2%
Fertility Rate	0.72 births/woman
Life Expectancy	83.4 years
Infant Mortality Rate	2.4 per 1,000
Literacy Rate	-

Economy & Trade

$35,674

GDP Per Capita

2.7%

Unemployment Rate

High income

Income Level

32.7

Gini Index (inequality)

82.3%

Trade (% of GDP)

2,519,000

Tourism Arrivals

Health & Education

8.6%

Health Expenditure (% GDP)

2.61

Physicians per 1,000

2.4

Infant Mortality (per 1,000)

Development & Connectivity

100.0%

Electricity Access

97.2%

Internet Users

141

Mobile Subs per 100

529.8

People per km2

87,800

Net Migration

Environment

64.1%

Forest Area

Other Countries in East Asia & Pacific

American Samoa Australia Brunei Darussalam Cambodia China

Korea, Rep. in global context

Korea, Rep. is one of 212 countries tracked. See how it ranks globally, regional shares of world population, and projections to 2050 / 2100.

World Population 2026: Top 10 Countries, Regions & Trends →

Other related entities

American Samoa (47,521)Australia (26,659,922)Brunei Darussalam (458,949)Cambodia (17,423,880)China (1,410,710,000)All countries →

Country rankings

Populated Countries in the World Countries With Highest GDP Per Capita Countries With Highest Life Expectancy Countries With Highest Fertility Rates Countries With Highest Literacy Rates Urbanized Countries in the World Fastest Growing Countries by Population Countries With Highest Infant Mortality Countries With Highest Income Inequality Countries With Most International Tourism All rankings →

Frequently Asked Questions

Korea, Rep. has a population of 51,712,619, ranking #101 in the world. The annual population growth rate is 0.08%.

Life expectancy in Korea, Rep. is 83.4 years. The infant mortality rate is 2.4 per 1,000 live births.

Korea, Rep.'s GDP per capita is $35,674. It is classified as a high income country by the World Bank.

81.2% of Korea, Rep.'s population lives in urban areas. The overall population density is 529.8 people per square kilometer.

Literacy data for Korea, Rep. is available from the World Bank.

Sources: World Bank Open Data

International data from the World Bank Open Data API. Population figures are latest available estimates. GDP per capita in current US dollars.

Korea, Rep. is a country in East Asia & Pacific with a population of 51,712,619. The population is growing slowly, about 0.1% annually.

Economically, Korea, Rep. is high-income — GDP per capita is roughly $35,674. Life expectancy is high at 83.4 years, with a fertility rate of 0.7 births per woman, and 81.2% of the population lives in urban areas.

Source: World Bank Open Data, 2026.