South Korea population
South Korea: 51.7 million people in 2025 (51,684,564), 29th of 217 countries and areas — and 44.4 million projected for 2050.
Compare South Korea with another country
Where it stands
In 2025 South Korea has 51,684,564 people, which is 0.63% of the 8.19 billion counted across the 217 countries and areas on this site. That puts it 29th by population, behind Colombia and ahead of Sudan.
Since 1960
In 1960 the figure was 25,012,374. Since then the population has grown 2.07×, an average of 1.12% a year upward. It doubled at some point along the way — the year it first reached 50,024,748 was 2012.
The population peaked in 2020 at 51,836,239, and it has fallen 0.3% since. By 2050 the projected total is 44,425,912, 14% below the 2025 figure.
The ranking in 2050
In 2050 the projected rank is 48th, down 19 places from 29th. Rankings move when other countries grow faster or slower, not only when South Korea changes.
People and land
South Korea covers 97,600 km² of land, so 2025 density is 530 people per km² — 23rd most crowded of 216 places with an area figure. At that density a square 10 km on a side holds about 52,955 people.
The fertility rate was 0.75 births per woman in 2024, below the roughly 2.1 needed to keep a population steady without migration; life expectancy at birth was 83.6 years (2024); 10.2% of people were under 15 and 20.3% were 65 or older (2025); 81% of the population lived in cities. These shape the curve above: a young population keeps growing after fertility falls, an old one starts shrinking sooner.
Its nearest neighbours in the ranking are Colombia just above, with 53.4 million (1.03× as many), and Sudan just below, with 51.7 million (1× as many as Sudan has).
How the numbers are taken. Total population from the World Bank's population estimates and projections (built from United Nations and national statistics). Values to 2025 are estimates; 2026–2050 are projections that continue current fertility, mortality and migration trends. Sources and limits.