South Korea population (2026)
The population of South Korea is 51,600,388 as of 1 July 2026, according to UN World Population Prospects 2024. South Korea ranks #31 of 236 countries and territories and holds 0.622% of the world population. The population is shrinking by 0.14% a year (-66,641 people). The median age is 47.2 years, women have 0.76 children on average and life expectancy at birth is 84.6 years. Population density is 529 people per km² of land. The capital is Seoul.
Population of South Korea, 1955–2050
| Year | Population | Yearly change | Median age | Fertility | Life expectancy | World share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2050 | 45,143,134 | -1.02% | 57.7 | 1.03 | 87.3 | 0.467% |
| 2045 | 47,232,956 | -0.80% | 56.0 | 0.98 | 86.8 | 0.500% |
| 2040 | 48,948,686 | -0.63% | 54.3 | 0.93 | 86.2 | 0.533% |
| 2035 | 50,300,733 | -0.45% | 52.2 | 0.88 | 85.6 | 0.566% |
| 2030 | 51,188,584 | -0.26% | 49.5 | 0.81 | 85.1 | 0.597% |
| 2026 | 51,600,388 | -0.14% | 47.2 | 0.76 | 84.6 | 0.622% |
| 2025 | 51,667,030 | -0.12% | 46.6 | 0.75 | 84.5 | 0.628% |
| 2024 | 51,717,590 | -0.08% | 46.1 | 0.73 | 84.4 | 0.634% |
| 2023 | 51,748,739 | -0.04% | 45.5 | 0.72 | 84.3 | 0.640% |
| 2022 | 51,782,512 | -0.09% | 44.9 | 0.78 | 82.7 | 0.646% |
| 2020 | 51,858,482 | +0.13% | 43.8 | 0.81 | 83.7 | 0.658% |
| 2015 | 50,983,912 | +0.83% | 40.9 | 1.2 | 82.5 | 0.682% |
| 2010 | 48,769,332 | +0.51% | 37.6 | 1.23 | 80.7 | 0.695% |
| 2005 | 47,851,644 | +0.29% | 34.6 | 1.12 | 78.4 | 0.726% |
| 2000 | 46,766,661 | +0.59% | 31.7 | 1.47 | 76.2 | 0.758% |
| 1995 | 45,368,426 | +0.51% | 29.3 | 1.65 | 73.4 | 0.788% |
| 1990 | 44,081,427 | +1.16% | 26.8 | 1.6 | 71.0 | 0.827% |
| 1985 | 41,148,963 | +1.29% | 24.3 | 1.71 | 68.4 | 0.845% |
| 1980 | 38,141,106 | +1.12% | 21.9 | 2.73 | 64.8 | 0.858% |
| 1975 | 35,875,742 | +1.49% | 19.8 | 3.31 | 64.7 | 0.881% |
| 1970 | 32,542,197 | +2.15% | 18.7 | 4.46 | 62.2 | 0.881% |
| 1965 | 29,284,338 | +1.73% | 18.5 | 4.89 | 55.8 | 0.878% |
| 1960 | 26,115,380 | +3.09% | 19.3 | 5.99 | 53.8 | 0.866% |
| 1955 | 22,125,102 | +3.30% | 18.9 | 6.17 | 48.4 | 0.807% |
South Korea statistics by category
Economy · Energy · Environment · Health · Food & Agriculture · Water · Education · Technology · Society & Media · Government · Transport · Biodiversity · Geography · Space & Science · Time & Calendar
Nearby countries: India, China, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh