South Korea is a high-income country with a population of 51.8M people. The capital and largest city is Seoul, with 9.67M residents. South Korea shares land borders with North Korea.
South Korea ranks 12/197 by GDP ($1.88T) and 31/197 by GDP per capita ($36,239). The top category for both exports and imports is machinery & equipment.
Main facts and rankings
South Korea
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Population |
51633793
|
31/197 |
| GDP |
$1.88T
2024 |
12/197 |
| GDP per capita |
$36,239
2024 |
31/197 |
| GDP per capita, PPP |
$58,895
2024 |
33/197 |
| Government debt |
$984B
2024 |
13/185 |
| Debt-to-GDP ratio |
55.7%
2026 |
93/185 |
| Government debt per person |
$19,021
2024 |
32/185 |
| Average annual personal income after taxes |
$23,981
2026 |
34/197 |
| Land area | 37,684 sq mi | 105/197 |
| Population density | 1,373 ppl/mi² | 18/197 |
| Fertility rate | 0.72 | 196/196 |
| Median age | 46.1 years | 10/196 |
| Life expectancy | 84.6 years | 4/197 |
South Korea trends dashboard: time-series charts
| Year | GDP |
|---|---|
| 1960 | $3,973,069,307 |
| 1961 | $2,427,244,761 |
| 1962 | $2,826,923,077 |
| 1963 | $4,007,692,308 |
| 1964 | $3,476,789,682 |
| 1965 | $3,141,131,708 |
| 1966 | $3,957,064,541 |
| 1967 | $4,895,076,718 |
| 1968 | $6,167,109,472 |
| 1969 | $7,743,940,189 |
| 1970 | $9,085,001,794 |
| 1971 | $10,005,257,131 |
| 1972 | $10,990,490,570 |
| 1973 | $14,067,523,813 |
| 1974 | $19,860,929,977 |
| 1975 | $22,126,033,058 |
| 1976 | $30,371,074,380 |
| 1977 | $39,064,462,810 |
| 1978 | $52,824,793,388 |
| 1979 | $68,083,884,298 |
| 1980 | $66,547,970,351 |
| 1981 | $74,287,368,087 |
| 1982 | $79,921,300,447 |
| 1983 | $89,621,208,322 |
| 1984 | $99,749,645,089 |
| 1985 | $103,764,281,281 |
| 1986 | $119,965,960,795 |
| 1987 | $152,240,393,646 |
| 1988 | $205,477,530,605 |
| 1989 | $254,236,243,100 |
| 1990 | $292,064,221,389 |
| 1991 | $340,851,946,804 |
| 1992 | $366,921,291,825 |
| 1993 | $405,705,302,846 |
| 1994 | $479,181,794,217 |
| 1995 | $586,286,469,401 |
| 1996 | $631,196,863,758 |
| 1997 | $589,202,526,424 |
| 1998 | $397,297,216,492 |
| 1999 | $515,697,079,289 |
| 2000 | $597,487,173,479 |
| 2001 | $567,564,806,235 |
| 2002 | $650,014,391,470 |
| 2003 | $728,516,494,684 |
| 2004 | $823,251,107,639 |
| 2005 | $971,740,329,984 |
| 2006 | $1,095,175,538,508 |
| 2007 | $1,220,911,904,593 |
| 2008 | $1,091,580,692,542 |
| 2009 | $983,065,242,417 |
| 2010 | $1,192,830,015,738 |
| 2011 | $1,307,103,477,219 |
| 2012 | $1,335,343,586,438 |
| 2013 | $1,434,669,686,502 |
| 2014 | $1,556,252,422,020 |
| 2015 | $1,539,212,301,136 |
| 2016 | $1,579,150,518,945 |
| 2017 | $1,710,196,756,713 |
| 2018 | $1,824,251,454,307 |
| 2019 | $1,751,045,752,055 |
| 2020 | $1,744,070,276,373 |
| 2021 | $1,942,313,560,966 |
| 2022 | $1,799,363,116,867 |
| 2023 | $1,844,800,934,392 |
| 2024 | $1,875,388,209,407 |
| Year | GDP per capita |
|---|---|
| 1960 | $158.8 |
| 1961 | $94.2 |
| 1962 | $106.6 |
| 1963 | $147 |
| 1964 | $124.2 |
| 1965 | $109.4 |
| 1966 | $134.4 |
| 1967 | $162.5 |
| 1968 | $200 |
| 1969 | $245.5 |
| 1970 | $281.8 |
| 1971 | $304 |
| 1972 | $328 |
| 1973 | $412 |
| 1974 | $572 |
| 1975 | $627 |
| 1976 | $847 |
| 1977 | $1,073 |
| 1978 | $1,429 |
| 1979 | $1,814 |
| 1980 | $1,746 |
| 1981 | $1,918 |
| 1982 | $2,032 |
| 1983 | $2,246 |
| 1984 | $2,469 |
| 1985 | $2,543 |
| 1986 | $2,911 |
| 1987 | $3,658 |
| 1988 | $4,889 |
| 1989 | $5,989 |
| 1990 | $6,813 |
| 1991 | $7,873 |
| 1992 | $8,387 |
| 1993 | $9,180 |
| 1994 | $10,734 |
| 1995 | $13,002 |
| 1996 | $13,865 |
| 1997 | $12,822 |
| 1998 | $8,583 |
| 1999 | $11,063 |
| 2000 | $12,710 |
| 2001 | $11,981 |
| 2002 | $13,643 |
| 2003 | $15,212 |
| 2004 | $17,122 |
| 2005 | $20,167 |
| 2006 | $22,610 |
| 2007 | $25,078 |
| 2008 | $22,252 |
| 2009 | $19,937 |
| 2010 | $24,071 |
| 2011 | $26,175 |
| 2012 | $26,601 |
| 2013 | $28,449 |
| 2014 | $30,667 |
| 2015 | $30,172 |
| 2016 | $30,832 |
| 2017 | $33,297 |
| 2018 | $35,364 |
| 2019 | $33,827 |
| 2020 | $33,646 |
| 2021 | $37,518 |
| 2022 | $34,822 |
| 2023 | $35,674 |
| 2024 | $36,239 |
South Korea's life expectancy calculator
| Year | Life expectancy, years |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 22.2 |
| 1951 | 26.6 |
| 1952 | 36.6 |
| 1953 | 40.5 |
| 1954 | 46.1 |
| 1955 | 48.4 |
| 1956 | 50.2 |
| 1957 | 51.6 |
| 1958 | 51.8 |
| 1959 | 52.9 |
| 1960 | 53.8 |
| 1961 | 54.4 |
| 1962 | 55 |
| 1963 | 55 |
| 1964 | 55.3 |
| 1965 | 55.8 |
| 1966 | 55.4 |
| 1967 | 60.9 |
| 1968 | 60.9 |
| 1969 | 61.4 |
| 1970 | 62.2 |
| 1971 | 62.7 |
| 1972 | 63.2 |
| 1973 | 63.8 |
| 1974 | 64.2 |
| 1975 | 64.7 |
| 1976 | 65 |
| 1977 | 64.6 |
| 1978 | 65 |
| 1979 | 66.1 |
| 1980 | 64.8 |
| 1981 | 67.1 |
| 1982 | 67.1 |
| 1983 | 66.7 |
| 1984 | 68.1 |
| 1985 | 68.4 |
| 1986 | 69 |
| 1987 | 69.3 |
| 1988 | 70.2 |
| 1989 | 70.7 |
| 1990 | 71 |
| 1991 | 71.4 |
| 1992 | 72.2 |
| 1993 | 72.7 |
| 1994 | 72.9 |
| 1995 | 73.4 |
| 1996 | 74 |
| 1997 | 74.5 |
| 1998 | 75 |
| 1999 | 75.6 |
| 2000 | 76.2 |
| 2001 | 76.9 |
| 2002 | 77.2 |
| 2003 | 77.5 |
| 2004 | 78 |
| 2005 | 78.4 |
| 2006 | 79 |
| 2007 | 79.4 |
| 2008 | 80 |
| 2009 | 80.6 |
| 2010 | 80.7 |
| 2011 | 81.2 |
| 2012 | 81.3 |
| 2013 | 81.8 |
| 2014 | 82.4 |
| 2015 | 82.5 |
| 2016 | 82.9 |
| 2017 | 83.3 |
| 2018 | 83.3 |
| 2019 | 83.7 |
| 2020 | 83.7 |
| 2021 | 83.9 |
| 2022 | 82.7 |
| 2023 | 84.3 |
| 2024 | 84.4 |
| 2025 | 84.5 |
| 2026 | 84.6 |
South Korea's population clock and projection
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 25,012,374 |
| 1961 | 25,765,673 |
| 1962 | 26,513,030 |
| 1963 | 27,261,747 |
| 1964 | 27,984,155 |
| 1965 | 28,704,674 |
| 1966 | 29,435,571 |
| 1967 | 30,130,983 |
| 1968 | 30,838,302 |
| 1969 | 31,544,266 |
| 1970 | 32,240,827 |
| 1971 | 32,882,704 |
| 1972 | 33,505,406 |
| 1973 | 34,103,149 |
| 1974 | 34,692,266 |
| 1975 | 35,280,725 |
| 1976 | 35,848,523 |
| 1977 | 36,411,795 |
| 1978 | 36,969,185 |
| 1979 | 37,534,236 |
| 1980 | 38,123,775 |
| 1981 | 38,723,248 |
| 1982 | 39,326,352 |
| 1983 | 39,910,403 |
| 1984 | 40,405,956 |
| 1985 | 40,805,744 |
| 1986 | 41,213,674 |
| 1987 | 41,621,690 |
| 1988 | 42,031,247 |
| 1989 | 42,449,038 |
| 1990 | 42,869,283 |
| 1991 | 43,295,704 |
| 1992 | 43,747,962 |
| 1993 | 44,194,628 |
| 1994 | 44,641,540 |
| 1995 | 45,092,991 |
| 1996 | 45,524,681 |
| 1997 | 45,953,580 |
| 1998 | 46,286,503 |
| 1999 | 46,616,677 |
| 2000 | 47,008,111 |
| 2001 | 47,370,164 |
| 2002 | 47,644,736 |
| 2003 | 47,892,330 |
| 2004 | 48,082,519 |
| 2005 | 48,184,561 |
| 2006 | 48,438,292 |
| 2007 | 48,683,638 |
| 2008 | 49,054,708 |
| 2009 | 49,307,835 |
| 2010 | 49,554,112 |
| 2011 | 49,936,638 |
| 2012 | 50,199,853 |
| 2013 | 50,428,893 |
| 2014 | 50,746,659 |
| 2015 | 51,014,947 |
| 2016 | 51,217,803 |
| 2017 | 51,361,911 |
| 2018 | 51,585,058 |
| 2019 | 51,764,822 |
| 2020 | 51,836,239 |
| 2021 | 51,769,539 |
| 2022 | 51,672,569 |
| 2023 | 51,712,619 |
| 2024 | 51,751,065 |
South Korea's birth and fertility rates
| Year | Fertility rate |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 5.99 |
| 1961 | 5.8 |
| 1962 | 5.56 |
| 1963 | 5.33 |
| 1964 | 5.07 |
| 1965 | 4.89 |
| 1966 | 4.78 |
| 1967 | 4.62 |
| 1968 | 4.51 |
| 1969 | 4.45 |
| 1970 | 4.53 |
| 1971 | 4.54 |
| 1972 | 4.12 |
| 1973 | 4.07 |
| 1974 | 3.77 |
| 1975 | 3.43 |
| 1976 | 3 |
| 1977 | 2.99 |
| 1978 | 2.64 |
| 1979 | 2.9 |
| 1980 | 2.82 |
| 1981 | 2.57 |
| 1982 | 2.39 |
| 1983 | 2.06 |
| 1984 | 1.74 |
| 1985 | 1.66 |
| 1986 | 1.58 |
| 1987 | 1.53 |
| 1988 | 1.55 |
| 1989 | 1.56 |
| 1990 | 1.57 |
| 1991 | 1.71 |
| 1992 | 1.76 |
| 1993 | 1.65 |
| 1994 | 1.66 |
| 1995 | 1.63 |
| 1996 | 1.57 |
| 1997 | 1.54 |
| 1998 | 1.46 |
| 1999 | 1.43 |
| 2000 | 1.48 |
| 2001 | 1.31 |
| 2002 | 1.18 |
| 2003 | 1.19 |
| 2004 | 1.16 |
| 2005 | 1.09 |
| 2006 | 1.13 |
| 2007 | 1.26 |
| 2008 | 1.19 |
| 2009 | 1.15 |
| 2010 | 1.23 |
| 2011 | 1.24 |
| 2012 | 1.3 |
| 2013 | 1.19 |
| 2014 | 1.21 |
| 2015 | 1.24 |
| 2016 | 1.17 |
| 2017 | 1.05 |
| 2018 | 0.98 |
| 2019 | 0.92 |
| 2020 | 0.84 |
| 2021 | 0.81 |
| 2022 | 0.78 |
| 2023 | 0.72 |
| Year | Median age, years |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 19.3 |
| 1961 | 19.2 |
| 1962 | 19.1 |
| 1963 | 19 |
| 1964 | 18.8 |
| 1965 | 18.6 |
| 1966 | 18.5 |
| 1967 | 18.6 |
| 1968 | 18.7 |
| 1969 | 18.8 |
| 1970 | 18.9 |
| 1971 | 19 |
| 1972 | 19.1 |
| 1973 | 19.3 |
| 1974 | 19.6 |
| 1975 | 19.9 |
| 1976 | 20.2 |
| 1977 | 20.7 |
| 1978 | 21.1 |
| 1979 | 21.6 |
| 1980 | 22.1 |
| 1981 | 22.5 |
| 1982 | 22.8 |
| 1983 | 23.3 |
| 1984 | 23.7 |
| 1985 | 24.2 |
| 1986 | 24.8 |
| 1987 | 25.3 |
| 1988 | 25.8 |
| 1989 | 26.3 |
| 1990 | 26.7 |
| 1991 | 27.2 |
| 1992 | 27.8 |
| 1993 | 28.3 |
| 1994 | 28.9 |
| 1995 | 29.4 |
| 1996 | 29.8 |
| 1997 | 30.2 |
| 1998 | 30.7 |
| 1999 | 31.2 |
| 2000 | 31.7 |
| 2001 | 32.3 |
| 2002 | 32.8 |
| 2003 | 33.4 |
| 2004 | 33.9 |
| 2005 | 34.5 |
| 2006 | 35.2 |
| 2007 | 35.8 |
| 2008 | 36.4 |
| 2009 | 37 |
| 2010 | 37.6 |
| 2011 | 38.2 |
| 2012 | 38.8 |
| 2013 | 39.5 |
| 2014 | 40.2 |
| 2015 | 40.8 |
| 2016 | 41.4 |
| 2017 | 41.9 |
| 2018 | 42.5 |
| 2019 | 43.1 |
| 2020 | 43.8 |
| 2021 | 44.4 |
| 2022 | 44.9 |
| 2023 | 45.5 |
| 2024 | 46.1 |
South Korea vs. World: Interactive Maps
Use the buttons below to toggle between world maps that display different statistics comparing South Korea with other countries.
GDP per capita
GDP
Life expectancy
Population
Population density
Fertility rate
Median age
Land area
South Korea: National Statistics
Finance
|
South Korea
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| GNI, Atlas method |
$1.9T
2024 |
12/194 |
| Government expenditure, % of GDP |
23.4%
2026 |
131/195 |
| Education expenditure, % of GDP |
5.81%
2022 |
31/193 |
| Military expenditure, % of GDP |
2.56%
2024 |
44/163 |
| Armed forces personnel |
569,000
2020 |
11/174 |
| Deficit/surplus, % of GDP |
-0.45%
2026 |
34/188 |
| Unemployment rate |
2.78%
2024 |
157/196 |
| Services, % of GDP |
57.5%
2024 |
92/191 |
| Industry, % of GDP |
33.9%
2024 |
40/194 |
| Economic freedom index |
74
2025 |
22/197 |
| Income share by richest 10% |
24.6%
2021 |
128/169 |
| Income share by poorest 10% |
2.9%
2021 |
77/169 |
| Number of millionaires |
1,295,674
2024 |
10/34 |
| Percentage of millionaires |
2.95%
2024 |
15/34 |
| Number of billionaires |
30
2025 |
21/78 |
| Percentage of billionaires |
0.00007%
2025 |
39/78 |
| Listed domestic companies |
2,599
2024 |
6/103 |
| Market capitalization of domestic companies |
$1.56T
2024 |
12/100 |
| Total reserves including gold |
$418B
2024 |
8/177 |
| Personal remittances received |
$7.45B
2024 |
28/180 |
| International tourist arrivals |
2,519,000
2020 |
54/188 |
| International tourism as share of exports |
1.94%
2020 |
142/184 |
| Banked people share |
96.9%
2024 |
26/158 |
Energy
|
South Korea
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy use, kg of oil equivalent per capita |
5,337 kg
2023 |
15/177 |
| GDP PPP per kg equivalent of energy use |
$10.5
2023 |
126/173 |
| Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions |
588 megatons
2024 |
9/187 |
| CO2 emissions per capita |
11.4 tons
2024 |
16/187 |
| Fossil fuel energy use share |
0%
2023 |
146/176 |
| Renewable energy use share |
3.6%
2021 |
163/193 |
| Alternative and nuclear energy use share |
18.5%
2023 |
27/147 |
| Net energy imports use share |
84.6%
2023 |
17/144 |
| Electric power consumption per capita |
11,426 kWh
2023 |
12/147 |
| Renewable electricity output share |
6.59%
2021 |
148/192 |
| Hydroelectric share |
1.23%
2023 |
131/192 |
| Nuclear share |
29.6%
2023 |
12/192 |
| Electricity access |
100%
2023 |
91/195 |
Society
|
South Korea
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| % of world population |
0.64%
2024 |
29/197 |
| Annual migration change |
+75,963
2024 |
21/196 |
| Urban population |
81.2%
2024 |
42/195 |
| Male:Female ratio |
50:50
2024 |
N/A |
| Average male height |
5.76 ft
2025 |
62/190 |
| Average female height |
5.35 ft
2025 |
54/190 |
| Quality of life index |
84.7
2026 |
24/197 |
| Corruption Perceptions Index |
64
2024 |
37/197 |
| Higher education index |
86
2026 |
27/183 |
| Homicides per 100K people |
0.53
2022 |
180/197 |
| Road traffic mortality per 100K people |
8.6
2019 |
135/197 |
| Visa free countries |
174
2025 |
20/195 |
| Adult literacy rate |
98.8%
2018 |
63/196 |
| English speaking |
20%
2025 |
106/197 |
| People using the Internet |
97.9%
2024 |
13/195 |
Health
|
South Korea
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Government health expenditure per capita |
$3,270
2023 |
26/191 |
| Out-of-pocket health expenditure per capita |
$989
2023 |
10/191 |
| Life expectancy |
84.6 years
2026 |
4/197 |
| Foreign aid share of health expenditure |
0%
2023 |
174/178 |
| Physicians per 1,000 people |
2.52
2021 |
71/193 |
| Age at first childbirth |
32.2 years
2025 |
3/137 |
| Maternal mortality per 100K births |
4
2023 |
179/193 |
| Mortality rate before reaching 5 years of age, per 1,000 live births |
2.8
2023 |
177/192 |
| Obesity rate |
7.24%
2022 |
174/189 |
| Diabetes prevalence |
9.6%
2024 |
85/195 |
| Air quality index |
45
2026 |
110/197 |
| Tobacco use prevalence |
20%
2022 |
80/164 |
| Pure alcohol consumption per capita |
7.79 liters
2020 |
51/186 |
Territory
|
South Korea
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| % of world land |
0.07%
2026 |
105/197 |
| Land area per capita |
728 sq mi
2024 |
180/197 |
| Agricultural land area |
6,054 sq mi
2026 |
128/194 |
| Forest area |
24,158 sq mi
2026 |
67/196 |
| Roads length |
68,794 mi
2018 |
51/175 |
Compare South Korea with other countries
Relevant pages:
South Korea topic pages:
Facts comparisons
