Population in South Korea compared to the United States: Trends, Charts, Rankings

South Korea and the United States: population history and growth rate by year chart

Table

Year	Population		Growth rate
	South Korea	United States	South Korea	United States
1900	-	76,094,000	-	-
1901	-	77,584,000	-	1.96%
1902	-	79,163,000	-	2.04%
1903	-	80,632,000	-	1.86%
1904	-	82,166,000	-	1.9%
1905	-	83,822,000	-	2.02%
1906	-	85,450,000	-	1.94%
1907	-	87,008,000	-	1.82%
1908	-	88,710,000	-	1.96%
1909	-	90,490,000	-	2.01%
1910	-	92,407,000	-	2.12%
1911	-	93,863,000	-	1.58%
1912	-	95,335,000	-	1.57%
1913	-	97,225,000	-	1.98%
1914	-	99,111,000	-	1.94%
1915	-	100,546,000	-	1.45%
1916	-	101,961,000	-	1.41%
1917	-	103,268,000	-	1.28%
1918	-	103,208,000	-	-0.06%
1919	-	104,514,000	-	1.27%
1920	-	106,461,000	-	1.86%
1921	-	108,538,000	-	1.95%
1922	-	110,049,000	-	1.39%
1923	-	111,947,000	-	1.72%
1924	-	114,109,000	-	1.93%
1925	-	115,829,000	-	1.51%
1926	-	117,397,000	-	1.35%
1927	-	119,035,000	-	1.4%
1928	-	120,509,000	-	1.24%
1929	-	121,767,000	-	1.04%
1930	-	123,076,741	-	1.08%
1931	-	124,039,648	-	0.78%
1932	-	124,840,471	-	0.65%
1933	-	125,578,763	-	0.59%
1934	-	126,373,773	-	0.63%
1935	-	127,250,232	-	0.69%
1936	-	128,053,180	-	0.63%
1937	-	128,824,829	-	0.6%
1938	-	129,824,939	-	0.78%
1939	-	130,879,718	-	0.81%
1940	-	132,122,446	-	0.95%
1941	-	133,402,471	-	0.97%
1942	-	134,859,553	-	1.09%
1943	-	136,739,353	-	1.39%
1944	-	138,397,345	-	1.21%
1945	-	139,928,165	-	1.11%
1946	-	141,388,566	-	1.04%
1947	-	144,126,071	-	1.94%
1948	-	146,631,302	-	1.74%
1949	-	149,188,130	-	1.74%
1950	-	152,271,417	-	2.07%
1951	-	154,877,889	-	1.71%
1952	-	157,552,740	-	1.73%
1953	-	160,184,192	-	1.67%
1954	-	163,025,854	-	1.77%
1955	-	165,931,202	-	1.78%
1956	-	168,903,031	-	1.79%
1957	-	171,984,130	-	1.82%
1958	-	174,881,904	-	1.68%
1959	-	177,829,628	-	1.69%
1960	25,012,374	180,671,158	-	1.6%
1961	25,765,673	183,691,481	3.01%	1.67%
1962	26,513,030	186,537,737	2.9%	1.55%
1963	27,261,747	189,241,798	2.82%	1.45%
1964	27,984,155	191,888,791	2.65%	1.4%
1965	28,704,674	194,302,963	2.57%	1.26%
1966	29,435,571	196,560,338	2.55%	1.16%
1967	30,130,983	198,712,056	2.36%	1.09%
1968	30,838,302	200,706,052	2.35%	1%
1969	31,544,266	202,676,946	2.29%	0.98%
1970	32,240,827	205,052,174	2.21%	1.17%
1971	32,882,704	207,660,677	1.99%	1.27%
1972	33,505,406	209,896,021	1.89%	1.08%
1973	34,103,149	211,908,788	1.78%	0.96%
1974	34,692,266	213,853,928	1.73%	0.92%
1975	35,280,725	215,973,199	1.7%	0.99%
1976	35,848,523	218,035,164	1.61%	0.95%
1977	36,411,795	220,239,425	1.57%	1.01%
1978	36,969,185	222,584,545	1.53%	1.06%
1979	37,534,236	225,055,487	1.53%	1.11%
1980	38,123,775	226,542,250	1.57%	0.66%
1981	38,723,248	229,465,744	1.57%	1.29%
1982	39,326,352	231,664,432	1.56%	0.96%
1983	39,910,403	233,792,014	1.49%	0.92%
1984	40,405,956	235,824,908	1.24%	0.87%
1985	40,805,744	237,923,734	0.99%	0.89%
1986	41,213,674	240,132,831	1%	0.93%
1987	41,621,690	242,288,936	0.99%	0.9%
1988	42,031,247	244,499,004	0.98%	0.91%
1989	42,449,038	246,819,222	0.99%	0.95%
1990	42,869,283	250,131,894	0.99%	1.34%
1991	43,295,704	253,492,503	0.99%	1.34%
1992	43,747,962	256,894,189	1.04%	1.34%
1993	44,194,628	260,255,352	1.02%	1.31%
1994	44,641,540	263,435,673	1.01%	1.22%
1995	45,092,991	266,557,091	1.01%	1.18%
1996	45,524,681	269,667,391	0.96%	1.17%
1997	45,953,580	272,911,760	0.94%	1.2%
1998	46,286,503	276,115,288	0.72%	1.17%
1999	46,616,677	279,294,713	0.71%	1.15%
2000	47,008,111	282,162,411	0.84%	1.03%
2001	47,370,164	284,968,955	0.77%	0.99%
2002	47,644,736	287,625,193	0.58%	0.93%
2003	47,892,330	290,107,933	0.52%	0.86%
2004	48,082,519	292,805,298	0.4%	0.93%
2005	48,184,561	295,516,599	0.21%	0.93%
2006	48,438,292	298,379,912	0.53%	0.97%
2007	48,683,638	301,231,207	0.51%	0.96%
2008	49,054,708	304,093,966	0.76%	0.95%
2009	49,307,835	306,771,529	0.52%	0.88%
2010	49,554,112	309,327,143	0.5%	0.83%
2011	49,936,638	311,583,481	0.77%	0.73%
2012	50,199,853	313,877,662	0.53%	0.74%
2013	50,428,893	316,059,947	0.46%	0.7%
2014	50,746,659	318,386,329	0.63%	0.74%
2015	51,014,947	320,738,994	0.53%	0.74%
2016	51,217,803	323,071,755	0.4%	0.73%
2017	51,361,911	325,122,128	0.28%	0.63%
2018	51,585,058	326,838,199	0.43%	0.53%
2019	51,764,822	328,329,953	0.35%	0.46%
2020	51,836,239	331,526,933	0.14%	0.97%
2021	51,769,539	331,893,745	-0.13%	0.11%
2022	51,672,569	333,271,411	-0.19%	0.42%
2023	51,712,619	334,914,895	0.08%	0.49%
2024	51,751,065	340,110,988	0.07%	1.55%
2025	51,700,480	341,931,772	-0.1%	0.54%
2026	51,633,793	343,664,369	-0.13%	0.51%
2027	51,552,198	345,331,185	-0.16%	0.49%
2028	51,456,707	346,981,137	-0.19%	0.48%
2029	51,347,230	348,601,982	-0.21%	0.47%
2030	51,221,713	350,176,974	-0.24%	0.45%
2031	51,081,220	351,725,612	-0.27%	0.44%
2032	50,924,233	353,249,060	-0.31%	0.43%
2033	50,747,132	354,749,644	-0.35%	0.42%
2034	50,549,508	356,234,239	-0.39%	0.42%
2035	50,333,286	357,694,316	-0.43%	0.41%
2036	50,098,951	359,119,002	-0.47%	0.4%
2037	49,845,669	360,517,853	-0.51%	0.39%
2038	49,573,234	361,895,407	-0.55%	0.38%
2039	49,283,770	363,229,908	-0.58%	0.37%
2040	48,980,369	364,512,364	-0.62%	0.35%
2041	48,661,905	365,753,139	-0.65%	0.34%
2042	48,331,004	366,969,419	-0.68%	0.33%
2043	47,990,085	368,146,925	-0.71%	0.32%
2044	47,634,183	369,258,123	-0.74%	0.3%
2045	47,263,526	370,318,770	-0.78%	0.29%
2046	46,881,228	371,328,255	-0.81%	0.27%
2047	46,482,133	372,299,116	-0.85%	0.26%
2048	46,063,595	373,230,539	-0.9%	0.25%
2049	45,626,805	374,119,803	-0.95%	0.24%
2050	45,172,356	374,986,259	-1%	0.23%

From 2005 to 2015, the population of South Korea increased by 2,830,386 people (a 5.87% growth), while the United States gained 25,222,395 people (a 8.54% growth).

For the next 10 years, from 2015 to 2025, South Korea gained 685,533 (a 1.34% growth), while the United States' population increased by 22,584,536 (a 7.04% growth).

South Korea was ranked 25th most populous country in 2005 and is 31st in 2025. The United States was ranked 3rd in 2005 and still ranked 3rd now.

The UN's World Population Prospects forecasts that with changing growth rate trends in 25 years (in 2050) South Korea's population will shrink by 12.6% to 45,172,356 people with a rank change from 31st to 48th. The population of the United States will increase by 9.22% to 374,986,259 people and will still be ranked 3rd.