Demographics of South Korea


features of South Korea's population include population density, ethnicity, education level, health, economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspects of the population. The common language and especially culture are widely considered more important elements by South Koreans in terms of identity than citizenship.
In 2012, South Korea's population surpassed 50 million citizens for the first time in history, and by the end of 2021, the country's population had peaked at approximately 51.77 million people. However, in recent years the total fertility rate of South Korea has plummeted, leading some researchers to suggest that if current trends continue, the country's population will shrink to approximately 28 million people by the end of the 21st century. In 2018, fertility in South Korea became a topic of international debate after only 26,500 babies were born in October and an estimated 325,000 babies for the year, causing the country to achieve the lowest birth rate in the world. In a further indication of South Korea's dramatic decline in fertility, in 2020 the country recorded more deaths than births, resulting in a population decline for the first time since modern records began. In 2024, South Korea had a total fertility rate of 0.75, the lowest in the world.
South Korea's population decline has been a direct result of record-low birth rates, which have been, according to many experts and researchers, a consequence of the country's high economic inequality, relatively high costs of living, low wages for an OECD member country, lack of job opportunities for young adults, and rising housing costs. Additionally, South Korea is also the country with the highest suicide rate among OECD member states and the wider developed world.
In South Korea, a variety of different Asian people had migrated to the Korean Peninsula in past centuries; however, few have remained permanently. South Korea is a highly homogenous nation, but has in recent decades become home to a number of foreign residents, whereas North Korea has not experienced this trend. However, many of them are ethnic Koreans with foreign citizenship. Many residents from China, post-Soviet states, the United States, and Japan are, in fact, repatriated ethnic Koreans who may meet criteria for expedited acquisition of South Korean citizenship. For example, migrants from the People's Republic of China (PRC) make up 56.5% of foreign nationals; however, approximately 70% of the Chinese citizens in Korea are Koreans in China, PRC citizens of Korean ethnicity.

Population trends

The population of South Korea showed robust growth since the republic's establishment in 1948, and then dramatically slowed down with the effects of its economic growth. In the first official census, taken in 1949, the total population of South Korea was calculated at 20,188,641 people. The 1985 census total was 40,466,577. Population growth was slow, averaging about 1.1% annually during the period from 1949 to 1955, when the population registered at 21.5 million. Growth accelerated between 1955 and 1966 to 29.2 million or an annual average of 2.8%, but declined significantly during the period 1966 to 1985 to an annual average of 1.7%. Thereafter, the annual average growth rate was estimated to be less than 1%, similar to the low growth rates of most industrialized countries and to the target figure set by the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs for the 1990s. As of January 1, 1989, the population of South Korea was estimated to be approximately 42,200,000.
The proportion of the total population under fifteen years of age has risen and fallen with the growth rate. In 1955, approximately 41.2% of the population was under fifteen years of age, a percentage that rose to 43.5% in 1966 before falling to 38.3% in 1975, 34.2% in 1980, and 29.9% in 1985. In the past, the large proportion of children relative to the total population put great strains on the country's economy, particularly because substantial resources were invested in education facilities. With the slowdown in the population growth rate and a rise in the median age, the age structure of the population has begun to resemble the columnar pattern typical of developed countries, rather than the pyramidal pattern found in most parts of the Third World.
The decline in the population growth rate and in the proportion of people under fifteen years of age after 1966 reflected the success of official and unofficial birth control programs. The government of President Syngman Rhee was conservative in such matters. Although Christian churches initiated a family planning campaign in 1957, it was not until 1962 that the government of Park Chung Hee, alarmed at the way in which the rapidly increasing population was undermining economic growth, began a nationwide family planning program. Other factors that contributed to a slowdown in population growth included urbanization, later marriage ages for both men and women, higher education levels, a greater number of women in the labor force, and better health standards.
Public and private agencies involved in family planning included the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Planned Parenthood Federation of Korea, and the Korea Institute of Family Planning. In the late 1980s, their activities included the distribution of free birth control devices and information, classes for women on family planning methods, and the granting of special subsidies and privileges to parents who agreed to undergo sterilization. There were 502,000 South Koreans sterilized in 1984, as compared with 426,000 in the previous year.
The 1973 Maternal and Child Health Law legalized abortion. In 1983, the government began suspending medical insurance benefits for maternal care for pregnant women with three or more children. It also denied tax deductions for education expenses to parents with two or more children.
As in China, cultural attitudes posed problems for family planning programs. A strong preference for sons—who in Korea's traditional Confucian value system are expected to care for their parents in old age and carry on the family name—means that parents with only daughters usually continued to have children until a son is born. The government encouraged married couples to have only one child. This has been a prominent theme in public service advertising, which stresses "have a single child and raise it well."
Total fertility rates fell from 6.1 births per female in 1960 to 4.2 in 1970, 2.8 in 1980, and 2.4 in 1984. The number of live births, recorded as 711,810 in 1978, grew to a high of 917,860 in 1982. This development stirred apprehensions among family planning experts of a new "baby boom." By 1986, however, the number of live births had declined to 806,041.
Decline in population growth continued, and between 2005 and 2010 total fertility rate for South Korean women was 1.21, one of the world's lowest according to the United Nations. Fertility rate well below the replacement level of 2.1 births per female has triggered a national alarm, with some predicting an aging society unable to grow or support its elderly. Recent Korean governments have prioritized the issue on their agenda, promising to enact social reforms that will encourage women to have children.
The country's population increased to 46 million by the end of the twentieth century, with growth rates ranging between 0.9% and 1.2%. The population is expected to stabilize in the year 2023 at around 52.6 million people. In the words of Asiaweek magazine, the "stabilized tally will approximate the number of Filipinos in 1983, but squeezed into less than a third of their space."
As of early 2019, the birth rate of South Korea reached an alarmingly low number. In February 2019, the Korean TFR fell to 0.98, well below the replacement level of 2.1 births. South Korea is now the fastest-aging developed country in the world. The Korean government and the worsening economic environment for young people are blamed as the main causes.

Population settlement patterns

South Korea is one of the world's most densely populated countries, with an estimated 425 people per square kilometer in 1989—over sixteen times the average population density of the United States in the late 1980s. By comparison, China had an estimated 114 people, the Federal Republic of Germany 246 people, and Japan 323 people per square kilometer in the late 1980s. Because about 70% of South Korea's land area is mountainous and the population is concentrated in the lowland areas, actual population densities were in general greater than the average. As early as 1975, it was estimated that the density of South Korea's thirty-five cities, each of which had a population of 50,000 or more inhabitants, was 3,700 people per square kilometer. Because of continued migration to urban areas, the figure was higher in the late 1980s.
In 1988 Seoul had a population density of 17,030 people per square kilometer as compared with 13,816 people per square kilometer in 1980. The second largest city, Busan, had a density of 8,504 people per square kilometer in 1988 as compared with 7,272 people in 1980. Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds the capital and contains Incheon, the country's fourth largest city, was the most densely populated province; Gangwon Province in the northeast was the least densely populated province.
According to the government's Economic Planning Board, the population density will be 530 people per square kilometer by 2023, the year the population is expected to stabilize.
Rural areas in South Korea consist of agglomerated villages in river valleys and range from a few houses to several hundred. These villages are located in the south that are backed by hills and give strong protection from winter winds.
Since 1960, the pace of urbanization in South Korea has hit a considerable decline in population of rural areas and the traditional rural lifestyle has been slowly fading away.

Fertility

Over the past 20 years, South Korea has recorded some of the lowest fertility and marriage levels in the world. As of 2024, it is the country with the world's lowest total fertility rate, standing at 0.75. Additionally, the country's capital, Seoul, registered a TFR of 0.64, which was likely the lowest level anywhere in the world.
Low birth rates have discouraged South Korean doctors from entering pediatrics out of the fear that the field has no future. Due to how medical insurance is structured in South Korea, pediatric care relies especially on volume to compensate for its low reimbursement rates. The number of pediatric facilities in Seoul fell by 12.5 percent between 2018 and 2022, compared to an increase of 76.8 percent for psychiatry clinics and a 41.2 percent rise for anesthesiology centers. Conditions such as overcrowded waiting rooms and a shortage of hospital beds have led to the death of at least one child. The difficulty in obtaining pediatric care is causing many South Korean couples to reconsider having babies.

Age structure

Population of South Korea by age and sex
Age groupMaleFemaleTotal%
Total25 608 50225 460 87351 069 375
0–41 159 0111 099 6592 258 670
5–91 169 7701 098 0812 267 851
10–141 262 7701 165 0222 427 792
15–191 668 6831 525 3963 194 079
20–241 887 7761 643 3323 531 108
25–291 728 8881 536 4003 265 288
30–341 986 7961 824 8143 811 610
35–392 022 4661 904 3963 926 862
40–442 218 4422 120 3854 338 827
45–492 217 0132 171 1444 388 157
50–542 153 1862 110 2614 263 447
55–591 969 2321 987 6173 956 849
60–641 379 6941 441 7632 821 457
65–691 028 1291 115 8942 144 023
70–74793 855976 8861 770 741
75–79553 178809 4911 362 669
80–84276 627537 595814 222
85–8998 855274 132372 987
90–9428 75995 964124 723
95–994 92319 87324 796
100+4492 7683 217
Age groupMaleFemaleTotalPercent
0–143 591 5513 362 7626 954 313
15–6419 232 17618 265 50837 497 684
65+2 784 7753 832 6036 617 378

Age groupMaleFemaleTotal%
Total25 863 50225 743 13151 606 633
0–41 041 546990 4662 032 012
5–91 177 4221 112 2132 289 635
10–141 172 8201 094 9212 267 741
15–191 469 0531 348 1922 817 245
20–241 856 6581 639 9063 496 564
25–291 868 3081 629 0723 497 380
30–341 766 5871 599 9143 366 501
35–392 116 7331 983 8494 100 582
40–442 023 6461 932 1213 955 767
45–492 311 5642 245 1934 556 757
50–542 076 6152 046 9274 123 542
55–592 163 9532 175 9664 339 919
60–641 669 0241 721 8043 390 828
65–691 133 2011 225 1882 358 389
70–74826 425969 8621 796 287
75–79664 618915 7521 580 370
80–84355 962632 408988 370
85–89128 560330 914459 474
90–9432 990115 467148 457
95–997 26029 58136 841
100+5573 4153 972
Age groupMaleFemaleTotalPercent
0–143 391 7883 197 6006 589 388
15–6419 322 14118 322 94437 645 085
65+3 149 5734 222 5877 372 160

Age groupMaleFemaleTotal%
Total25 915 20725 913 92951 829 136
0–4883 196838 8851 722 081
5–91 161 2471 103 3482 264 595
10–141 168 9371 098 5442 267 481
15–191 271 4041 178 1572 449 561
20–241 762 1351 602 6693 364 804
25–291 959 7231 706 4893 666 212
30–341 742 4831 558 8483 301 331
35–391 970 2491 835 2213 805 470
40–441 997 6301 909 0353 906 665
45–492 196 0422 129 6554 325 697
50–542 195 0602 176 9944 372 054
55–592 109 3802 101 2654 210 645
60–641 912 7921 972 5053 885 297
65–691 314 5751 419 6122 734 187
70–74946 5391 081 1402 027 679
75–79684 291916 5761 600 867
80–84419 037701 7441 120 781
85–89168 643395 287563 930
90–9442 951149 712192 663
95–998 02433 48841 512
100+8694 7555 624
Age groupMaleFemaleTotalPercent
0–143 213 3803 040 7776 254 157
15–6419 116 89818 170 83837 287 736
65+3 584 9294 702 3148 287 243

South Korea faces the issue of a rapidly aging population. In fact, the speed of aging in Korea is unprecedented in human history, 18 years to double aging population from 7–14%, overtaking even Japan. Statistics support this observation; the percentage of elderly aged 65 and above, has sharply risen from 3.3% in 1955 to 10.7% in 2009. The shape of its population has changed from a pyramid in the 1990s, with more young people and fewer old people, to a diamond shape in 2010, with fewer young people and a large proportion of middle-aged individuals.
There are several implications and issues associated with an aging population. A rapidly aging population is likely to have several negative implications on the labour force. In particular, experts predict that this might lead to a shrinking of the labour force. As an increasing proportion of people enter their 50s and 60s, they either choose to retire or are forced to retire by their companies. As such, there would be a decrease in the percentage of economically active people in the population. Also, with rapid aging, it is highly likely that there would be an imbalance in the young-old percentage of the workforce. This might lead to a lack of vibrancy and innovation in the labour force, since it is helmed mainly by the middle-aged workers. Data shows that while there are fewer young people in society, the percentage of the economically active population, made up of people ages 15–64, has increased by 20% from 55.5% to 72.5%. This shows that the labour force is indeed largely made up of middle-aged workers.
A possible consequence might be that South Korea would be a less attractive candidate for investment. Investors might decide to relocate to countries like Vietnam, where there is an abundance of cheaper, younger labour. If employers were to choose to maintain operations in South Korea, there is a possibility that they might incur higher costs in retraining or upgrading the skills of this group of middle-age workers. On top of that, higher healthcare costs might also be incurred and the government would need to set aside more money to maintain a good healthcare system to cater to the elderly.
Due to the very low birth rate, South Korea is predicted to enter a Russian Cross pattern once the large generation born in the 1960s starts to die off, with potentially decades of population decline.
Since 2016, the number of elderly people has outnumbered children and the country has become an "aged society." People older than 65 make up more than 14% of the total population.

Urbanization

Like other newly industrializing economies, South Korea experienced rapid growth of urban areas caused by the migration of large numbers of people from the countryside. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Seoul, by far the largest urban settlement, had a population of about 190,000 people. There was a striking contrast with Japan, where Edo had as many as 1 million inhabitants and the urban population comprised as much as 10% to 15% of the total during the Tokugawa Period. During the closing years of the Joseon period and the first years of Japanese colonial rule, the urban population of Korea was no more than 3% of the total. After 1930, when the Japanese began industrial development on the Korean Peninsula, particularly in the northern provinces adjacent to Manchuria, the urban portion of the population began to grow, reaching 11.6% for all of Korea in 1940.
Between 1945 and 1985, the urban population of South Korea grew from 14.5% to 65.4% of the total population. In 1988, the Economic Planning Board estimated that the urban portion of the population would reach 78.3% by the end of the twentieth century. Most of this urban increase was attributable to migration rather than to natural growth of the urban population. Urban birth rates have generally been lower than the national average. The extent of urbanization in South Korea, however, is not fully revealed in these statistics. Urban population was defined in the national census as being restricted to those municipalities with 50,000 or more inhabitants. Although many settlements with fewer than 50,000 inhabitants were satellite towns of Seoul or other large cities or mining communities in northeastern Gangwon Province, which would be considered urban in terms of the living conditions and occupations of the inhabitants, they were still officially classified as rural.
The dislocation caused by the Korean War accounted for the rapid increase in urban population during the early 1950s. Hundreds of thousands of refugees, many of them from North Korea, streamed into the cities. During the post-Korean War period, rural people left their ancestral villages in search of greater economic and educational opportunities in the cities. By the late 1960s, migration had become a serious problem, not only because cities were terribly overcrowded, but also because the rural areas were losing the most youthful and productive members of their labor force.
In 1970, the Park Chung Hee government launched the Saemaul Undong as a rural reconstruction and self-help movement to improve economic conditions in the villages, close the wide gap in income between rural and urban areas, and stem urban migration—as well as to build a political base. Despite a huge amount of government-sponsored publicity, especially during the Park era, it was not clear by the late 1980s that the Saemaul undong had achieved its objectives. By that time, many, if not most, farming and fishing villages consisted of older persons; relatively few able-bodied men and women remained to work in the fields or to fish. This trend was apparent in government statistics for the 1986–87 period: the proportion of people fifty years old or older living in farming communities grew from 28.7% in 1986 to 30.6% in 1987, while the number of people in their twenties living in farming communities declined from 11.3% to 10.8%. The nationwide percentages for people fifty years old or older and in their twenties were, in 1986, 14.9% and 20.2%, respectively.
In 1985, the largest cities were Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Gwangju, and Daejeon. According to government statistics, the population of Seoul, one of the world's largest cities, surpassed 10 million people in late 1988. Seoul's average annual population growth rate during the late 1980s was more than 3%. Two-thirds of this growth was attributable to migration rather than to natural increase. Surveys revealed that "new employment or seeking a new job," "job transfer," and "business" were major reasons given by new immigrants for coming to the capital. Other factors cited by immigrants included "education" and "a more convenient area to live."
To alleviate overcrowding in Seoul's downtown area, the city government drew up a master plan in the mid-1980s that envisioned the development of four "core zones" by 2000: the original downtown area, Yongdongpo-Yeouido, Yongdong, and Jamsil. Satellite towns would also be established or expanded. In the late 1980s, statistics revealed that the daytime or commuter population of downtown Seoul was as much as six times the officially registered population. If the master plan is successful, many commuters will travel to work in a core area nearer their homes, and the downtown area's daytime population will decrease. Many government ministries have been moved out of Seoul, and the army, navy, and air force headquarters have been relocated to Daejeon.
In 1985, the population of Seoul constituted 23.8% of the national total. Provincial cities, however, experienced equal and, in many cases, greater expansion than the capital. Growth was particularly spectacular in the southeastern coastal region, which encompasses the port cities of Busan, Masan, Yosu, Jinhae, Ulsan, and Pohang. Census figures show that Ulsan's population increased eighteenfold, growing from 30,000 to 551,300 inhabitants between 1960 and 1985. With the exception of Yosu, all of these cities are in South Gyeongsang Province, a region that has been an especially favored recipient of government development projects. By comparison, the population of Gwangju, capital of South Jeolla Province, increased less than threefold between 1960 and 1985, growing from 315,000 to 906,129 inhabitants.
Rapid urban growth has brought familiar problems to developed and developing countries alike. The construction of large numbers of high-rise apartment complexes in Seoul and other large cities alleviated housing shortages to some extent. But it also imposed hardship on the tens of thousands of people who were obliged to relocate from their old neighborhoods because they could not afford the rents in the new buildings. In the late 1980s, squatter areas consisting of one-story shacks still existed in some parts of Seoul. Housing for all but the wealthiest was generally cramped. The concentration of factories in urban areas, the rapid growth of motorized traffic, and the widespread use of coal for heating during the severe winter months caused dangerous levels of air and water pollution, issues that still persist today even after years of environmentally friendly policies.
In 2016, 82.59 percent of South Korea's total population lived in urban areas and cities.

Vital statistics

Source:
Notable events in South Korean demography:
Average populationLive birthsDeathsNatural changeCrude birth rate Crude death rate Natural change Total fertility rate Net Migration Rate
192512,997,611558,897359,042199,85543.027.615.46.59-
192613,052,741511,667337,948173,71939.225.913.3-9.1
192713,037,169534,524353,818180,70641.027.113.9-15.1
192813,105,131566,142357,701208,44143.227.315.9-10.7
192913,124,279566,969414,366152,60343.231.611.6-10.2
193013,880,469587,144322,611264,53342.323.219.16.4135.4
193113,895,052589,428346,800242,62842.425.017.4-16.4
193214,117,191600,545384,287216,25842.527.215.30.4
193314,229,277607,021336,232270,78942.723.619.1-11.2
193414,449,155618,135356,515261,62042.824.718.1-2.9
193515,061,960646,158377,454268,70442.925.117.86.6022.8
193615,114,775639,355381,806257,54942.325.317.0-13.5
193715,235,383636,839342,575294,26441.822.519.3-11.4
193815,358,193569,299347,025222,27437.122.614.5-6.5
193915,486,028585,482353,391232,09137.822.815.0-6.7
194015,559,741527,964358,496169,46833.923.010.96.56-6.2
194115,745,478553,690366,239187,45135.223.311.9-0.1
194216,013,742533,768376,003157,76533.323.59.86.9
194316,239,721513,846384,881128,96531.623.77.96.0
194416,599,172533,215380,121153,09432.122.99.26.7812.4
194516,695,819544,786367,308177,47832.622.010.6-4.8
194619,369,270590,763410,629180,13430.521.29.3128.7
194719,836,234686,334361,019325,31535.018.216.87.2
194820,027,393692,948374,512318,43634.618.715.9-6.4
194920,188,641696,508341,188355,32034.516.917.6-9.6
195019,211,386633,976597,47436,50233.031.11.95.09-52.8
195119,304,737675,666579,14296,52435.030.05.0-0.2
195219,566,860722,018457,865264,15336.923.413.5-0.1
195319,979,069777,186363,619413,56738.918.220.7-0.1
195420,520,601839,293348,850490,43340.917.023.92.5
195521,168,611908,134295,302612,83242.914.028.96.331.7
195621,897,911945,990294,344651,64643.213.429.83.5
195722,681,233963,952293,344670,60842.512.929.65.0
195823,490,027993,628291,864701,76442.312.429.94.6
195924,295,7861,016,173289,525726,64841.811.929.93.3
196025,012,3741,080,535285,350795,18543.211.431.86.16-3.1
196125,765,6731,046,086280,846765,24040.610.929.75.99-0.5
196226,513,0301,036,659270,433760,26639.110.228.95.79-0.7
196327,261,7471,033,220278,070755,15037.910.227.75.57-0.2
196427,984,1551,001,833279,842721,99135.810.025.85.360
196528,704,674996,052272,694723,35834.79.525.25.16-0.1
196629,435,5711,030,245294,356735,88935.010.025.04.99-0.2
196730,130,9831,005,293242,280763,01333.48.025.44.84-
196830,838,3021,043,321280,308763,01333.89.124.74.72-1.8
196931,544,2661,044,943270,023774,92033.18.624.54.62-2.2
197032,240,8271,006,645258,589748,05631.28.023.24.53-1.6
197132,882,7041,024,773237,528787,24531.27.223.94.54-4.4
197233,505,406952,780210,071742,70928.46.322.24.12-3.6
197334,103,149965,521267,460698,06128.37.820.54.07-2.9
197434,692,266922,823248,807674,01626.67.219.43.77-2.4
197535,280,725874,030270,657603,37324.87.717.13.43-0.4
197635,848,523796,331266,857529,47422.27.414.83.001.1
197736,411,795825,339249,254576,08522.76.815.82.99-0.4
197836,969,185750,728252,298498,43020.36.813.52.641.6
197937,534,236862,669239,986622,68323.06.416.62.90-1.5
198038,123,775862,835277,284585,55122.67.315.42.820.1
198138,723,248867,409237,481629,92822.46.116.32.57-0.8
198239,326,352848,312245,767602,54521.66.215.32.390
198339,910,403769,155254,563514,59219.36.412.92.061.7
198440,405,956674,793236,445438,34816.75.910.81.741.4
198540,855,744655,489240,418415,07116.15.910.21.660.8
198641,263,674636,019239,256396,76315.45.89.61.580.3
198741,682,690623,831243,504380,32715.05.99.11.530.9
198842,071,247633,092235,779397,31315.15.69.51.55-0.2
198942,484,038639,431236,818402,61315.15.69.51.560.2
199042,896,283649,738241,616408,12215.25.69.51.570.1
199143,315,704709,275242,270467,00516.45.610.81.71-1.1
199243,787,962730,678236,162494,51616.75.411.31.76-0.5
199344,264,628715,826234,257481,56916.05.210.81.654-0.1
199444,731,540721,185242,439478,74616.05.410.61.656-0.3
199545,182,991715,020242,838472,18215.75.310.31.634-0.5
199645,634,681691,226241,149450,07715.05.29.81.5740
199746,073,580675,394244,693430,70114.45.29.21.5370.2
199846,506,503641,594245,825395,76913.65.28.41.4640.8
199946,876,677620,668247,734372,93413.05.27.81.425-0.1
200047,258,111640,089248,740391,34913.35.28.21.480-0.2
200147,580,164559,934243,813316,12111.65.06.51.3090.1
200247,854,736496,911247,524249,38710.25.15.11.1780.5
200348,072,330495,036246,463248,57310.25.15.11.191−0.6
200448,302,419476,958246,220230,7389.85.04.71.1640
200548,504,561438,707245,874192,8338.95.03.91.0850.2
200648,758,292451,759244,162207,5979.25.04.21.1320.9
200749,063,638496,822246,482250,34010.05.05.11.2591.1
200849,274,708465,892246,113219,7799.45.04.41.192-0.2
200949,447,835444,849246,942197,9079.05.04.01.149-0.5
201049,714,112470,171255,405214,7669.45.14.31.2261.0
201150,036,638471,265257,396213,8699.45.14.31.2442.2
201250,329,853484,550267,221217,3299.65.34.31.2971.5
201350,568,893436,455266,257170,1988.65.33.41.1871.4
201450,806,659435,435267,692167,7438.65.33.31.2051.4
201551,024,947438,420275,895162,5258.65.43.21.2391.1
201651,217,803406,243280,827125,4167.95.52.51.1721.3
201751,361,911357,771285,53472,2377.05.61.41.0521.4
201851,585,058326,822298,82028,0026.45.80.60.9773.8
201951,764,822302,676295,1327,5445.95.70.20.9183.3
202051,836,239272,337304,948−32,6115.35.9−0.60.8372.0
202151,769,539260,562317,680−57,1185.16.2−1.10.808−0.2
202251,672,569249,186372,939−123,7534.97.3−2.40.7780.5
202351,712,619230,028352,511−122,4834.56.9−2.40.7213.1
202451,751,065238,343358,356−120,0134.77.0–2.30.7503.1
202551,684,564258,242366,149-107,0935.07.1–2.10.799*
202651,609,121--------

* Estimated value for the first 11 months.

Total fertility rates by region

Province and citiesTFR
Seoul

Total fertility rate from 1900 to 1924

The total fertility rate is the number of children born per woman. It is based on fairly good data for the entire period. Sources: Our World In Data and Gapminder Foundation.
Years19001901190219031904190519061907190819091910
Total fertility rate in South Korea665.995.995.985.985.975.965.965.96-

Years1921192219231924
Total fertility rate in South Korea5.955.965.975.95

UN estimates

Source:

Life expectancy

Remaining life expectancy at certain ages for the country as a whole, Gyeonggi Province and Seoul, in 2023.
Data source: Statistics Korea

Life expectancy at birth from 1908 to 2015

Sources: Our World In Data and the United Nations.
1865–1950
Years190819131918192319281933193819421950
Life expectancy in South Korea23.525.027.029.533.637.442.644.946.7

1950–2015
PeriodLife expectancy in
years		PeriodLife expectancy in
years
1950–195547.91985–199070.3
1955–196051.21990–199572.9
1960–196554.81995–200075.0
1965–197058.82000–200577.2
1970–197563.12005–201079.4
1975–198065.02010–201581.3
1980–198567.42015–202083.5

Source: ''UN World Population Prospects''

Ethnic groups

South Korea is a largely ethnically homogeneous country with an absolute majority of the Korean ethnicity from estimates but the country itself doesn't collect ethnic or racial data formally. However, with its emergence as an economic powerhouse, demand for foreign immigrants increased and in 2007 the number of foreign citizen residents in South Korea passed the one million mark for the first time in history, and the number reached 2 million in 2016. Of those, 1,016,000 came from China, with more than half of them being ethnic Koreans of Chinese citizenship. The next largest group was from Vietnam with 149,000 residents. The third largest group was from the United States with 117,000 residents, excluding the American troops stationed in the country. Thailand, Philippines, Kazakhstan and other countries followed. Many of the foreign residents from China and the former Soviet Union, including Russia and Kazakhstan, are ethnic Koreans. The number of foreign residents in the country last month set a record-high 2.73 million, comprising 5.3% of the national population of 51,164,582.

Chinese in South Korea

Since The People's Republic of China and South Korea established their diplomatic relationship in 1992, the number of Chinese immigrants, majorly Joseonjok, has continued to increase. In the early 1990s, a trade agreement allowed merchants from China to conduct business trades in South Korea. There are also Chaoxianzu in Korea: Chinese nationals of Korean ethnicity living in South Korea.

North Americans in South Korea

South Korea is a country with one of the largest American immigrant populations in the world, numbering over 100,000. Most Americans tend to be Korean Americans who have returned to South Korea. About 43,000 Korean Americans reported living in South Korea in 2020, more than twice the number in 2005. South Korea also has a Canadian population of over 20,000.

Vietnamese in South Korea

The relationship between Vietnamese and Koreans date back to when Lý Dương Côn left for Goryeo after succession of power dispute. Likewise in 1226, Lý Long Tường, a prince of the Lý dynasty of Đại Việt, later became Yi Yongsang of Hwasan, a general of Korea. He is an ancestor of one branch of the Lee family today in South Korea. Nowadays, most Vietnamese immigrants are either manual labor workers, marriage immigrants, or cooks in Vietnamese cuisines.

Filipinos in South Korea

Relationship between Filipinos and South Koreans can be traced back to 1950s during the Korean War. Over 7,500 Filipino soldiers fought on the United Nations' side to help South Korea. As of 2019, there were more than 55,000 Filipino immigrants living in South Korea. Population decline in rural regions led to shortage of young people especially young women in those areas and it led many Koreans to marry Filipino brides.

Languages

The Korean language is the native language spoken by the vast majority of the population. English is widely taught in both public and private schools as a foreign language. However, general fluency in English in the country is relatively low compared to other industrialized developed countries. There is a Chinese minority who speak Mandarin and Cantonese. Some elderly people may still be able to speak Japanese, which was de facto and de jure official during the Japanese rule in Korea.
In different areas of South Korea, different dialects are spoken. For example, the Gyeongsang dialect spoken around Busan and Daegu to the south is often perceived to sound quite rough and aggressive compared to standard Korean.

Religion

Koreans have historically lived under the religious influences of Korean shamanism, Buddhism, Daoism, or Confucianism.
Korea is a country where three of the world's major religions, Christianity, Buddhism, and Confucianism, peacefully coexist. According to 2015 statistics, 43.1% of Korean population has a religion and 2008 statistics show that over 510 religious organizations were in the South Korea population.

Migration

YearImmigrationEmigrationNet Migration
2000371,264363,1418,123
2001373,683405,892−32,209
2002387,064403,319−16,255
2003404,475446,888−42,413
2004422,524471,524−49,000
2005530,243624,748−94,505
2006613,678566,04547,633
2007630,330552,26577,678
2008658,651603,34955,302
2009591,626571,24820,378
2010632,102549,83382,269
2011658,475567,57090,905
2012643,009636,4036,606
2013696,166610,95485,212
2014735,181593,530141,651
2015683,716622,29061,426
2016714,023638,66475,359
2017758,106651,312106,794
2018817,794661,967156,007
2019749,188717,41331,775
2020673,315560,402112,813
2021410,398476,376−65,978
2022606,043518,01488,029
2023698,408577,099121,309
2024727,357601,954125,403

Emigration

Large-scale emigration from Korea began around 1904 and continued until the end of World War II. During the Japanese rule, many Koreans emigrated to Manchuria, other parts of China, the Soviet Union, Hawaii, and the contiguous United States.
Most emigrated for economic reasons; employment opportunities were scarce, and many Korean farmers lost their land after the Japanese introduced a system of land registration and private land tenure, imposed higher land taxes, and promoted the growth of an absentee landlord class charging exorbitant rents. Koreans from the northern provinces of Korea migrated mainly to Manchuria, China, and Siberia. Most people from the southern provinces went to Japan or the United States. Koreans were conscripted into Japanese labor battalions or the Japanese army, especially during World War II. In the 1940–44 period, nearly 2 million Koreans lived in Japan, 1.4 million in Manchuria, 600,000 in Siberia, and 130,000 in China. An estimated 40,000 Koreans were scattered among other countries, mainly the United States. At the end of World War II, approximately 2 million Koreans were repatriated from Japan and Manchuria.
More than 4 million ethnic Koreans lived outside the peninsula during the early 1980s. The largest group, about 1.7 million people, lived in China, the descendants of the Korean farmers who had left the country during the Japanese occupation. Most had assumed Chinese citizenship. The Soviet Union had about 430,000 ethnic Koreans, known as the Koryo-saram, scattered in several Soviet republics.
By contrast, many of Japan's approximately 700,000 Koreans had below-average standards of living. This situation occurred partly because of discrimination by the Japanese majority and partly because a large number of resident Koreans, loyal to the North Korean regime of Kim Il Sung, preferred to remain separate from and hostile to the Japanese mainstream. The pro–North Korea Chongryon initially was more successful than the pro–South Korea Mindan in attracting adherents among residents in Japan. Since diplomatic relations were established between Seoul and Tokyo in 1965, however, the South Korean government has taken an active role in promoting the interests of their residents in Japan in negotiations with the Japanese government. It also has provided subsidies to Korean schools in Japan and other community activities.
By the end of 1988, the South Korean diaspora was estimated at around two million people. North America was home to over 1.2 million. Smaller Korean communities formed in Australia, Central and South America, the Middle East, Western Europe, New Zealand, other Asian countries, and Africa. A limited number of South Korean government-sponsored migrants settled in Chile, Argentina, and other Latin American countries.
Because of South Korea's rapid economic expansion, an increasing number of its citizens reside abroad on a temporary basis as business executives, technical personnel, foreign students, and construction workers. A large number of formerly expatriate South Koreans have returned to South Korea primarily because of the country's much improved economic conditions and the difficulties they experienced in adjusting to living abroad.

Immigration

There are 2,650,783 foreign residents in South Korea as of December 2024, 5.18% of the total population. Roughly half of this population was Chinese, followed by Vietnamese, Thai and American. Out of the total foreign population, 557,057 were short-term residents on fixed-term employment contracts. These figures exclude foreign-born citizens who have naturalized and obtained South Korean citizenship; the total number of naturalized South Korean citizens from 1957 to 2019 surpassed 200,000.
Fair amount of the foreign residents from some countries are Korean descendants. Two thirds of Chinese, half of Russian, one fourth of Uzbeks are repatriated ethnic Koreans who may meet criteria for expedited acquisition of South Korean citizenship. They are Korean Chinese and Koryo-saram.
Also, sizeable number of migrants from countries with primarily multicultural immigrant population, such as Australia, Canada, United States, and Japan are also of Korean ethnic descent.
Number of Foreign Residents in South Korea of Different Ethnicity
Country2024 2021 2019
China

Works cited