The population of Republic of Korea is expected to grow by 121,000 in 2026 and reach 52,902,000 in 2027. Migration (including immigration and emigration) increases population by 40,000 people yearly. The population density of South Korea has changed from 395.2 in 1980 to 535.8 in 2024.
| Current population | 52,801,693 people at present (Tuesday 10th of February 2026) | |
| Median Age | 44.4 years |
| Population density | 538.3 per km2 |
| Year | Population | Year change | Migrants | Median age | Fertility rate | Density (Ppl/km2) | Urban population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 52,789,000 | 121,000 (0.2%) | 40,000 | 44.4 | 538 | 44,303,000 (83.9%) | |
| 2025 | 52,668,000 | 128,000 (0.2%) | 40,000 | 44.1 | 1.43 | 537 | 44,125,000 (83.8%) |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 (0.0%) | 40,000 | 43.7 | 536 | 43,943,000 (83.6%) | |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 (0.0%) | 40,000 | 43.4 | 534 | 43,757,000 (83.5%) | |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 (0.0%) | 40,000 | 43.0 | 533 | 43,568,000 (83.4%) | |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 (0.0%) | 40,000 | 42.6 | 531 | 43,375,000 (83.2%) | |
| 2020 | 51,962,000 | 165,000 (0.3%) | 40,000 | 42.2 | 1.36 | 530 | 43,176,000 (83.1%) |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 (0.0%) | 40,000 | 41.8 | 1.34 | 528 | 42,973,000 (83.0%) |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 (0.0%) | 40,000 | 41.4 | 1.31 | 526 | 42,763,000 (82.8%) |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 (0.0%) | 40,000 | 41.0 | 1.29 | 524 | 42,547,000 (82.7%) |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 (0.0%) | 40,000 | 40.6 | 1.26 | 526 | 42,324,854 (82.6%) |
| 2015 | 51,014,947 | 268,288 (0.5%) | 40,000 | 40.1 | 1.24 | 523 | 42,074,067 (82.5%) |
| 2010 | 49,554,112 | 246,277 (0.5%) | 33,927 | 37.9 | 1.23 | 510 | 40,602,657 (81.9%) |
| 2005 | 48,184,561 | 102,042 (0.2%) | -31,307 | 35.5 | 1.08 | 498 | 39,195,731 (81.3%) |
| 2000 | 47,008,111 | 391,434 (0.8%) | 16,258 | 33.1 | 1.47 | 487 | 37,428,328 (79.6%) |
| 1995 | 45,092,991 | 451,451 (1.0%) | 31,868 | 31.2 | 1.63 | 467 | 35,280,305 (78.2%) |
| 1990 | 42,869,283 | 420,245 (1.0%) | 14,301 | 29.5 | 1.57 | 444 | 31,656,393 (73.8%) |
| 1985 | 40,805,744 | 399,788 (1.0%) | 34,125 | 27.5 | 1.66 | 423 | 26,473,134 (64.9%) |
| 1980 | 38,123,775 | 589,539 (1.6%) | 18,607 | 26.1 | 2.82 | 395 | 21,623,805 (56.7%) |
| 1975 | 35,280,725 | 588,459 (1.7%) | -33,029 | 24.7 | 3.43 | 366 | 16,946,391 (48.0%) |
| 1970 | 32,240,827 | 696,561 (2.2%) | -41,981 | 23.9 | 4.53 | 334 | 13,123,306 (40.7%) |
| 1965 | 28,704,674 | 720,519 (2.5%) | -9,729 | 23.3 | 5.13 | 298 | 9,286,249 (32.4%) |
| 1960 | 25,012,374 | 753,299 (2.9%) | 7,967 | 23.2 | 6.10 | 261 | 6,930,929 (27.7%) |
In 2025 the population of South Korea was 52,668,000 and the average age increased from 23.2 in 1960 to 44.1. Urban population has increased from 37,428,328 (79.6%) in 2000 to 44,303,000 (83.9%) in the current year. The population density of South Korea has changed from 395.2 in 1980 to 535.8 in 2024.
| Year | Population | Year change | Migrants | Median age | Fertility rate | Density (Ppl/km2) | Urban population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 0 | 0 (0.0%) | 40,000 | 42.2 | 1.36 | 530 | 43,176,000 (83.1%) |
| 2025 | 0 | 0 (0.0%) | 40,000 | 44.1 | 1.43 | 537 | 44,125,000 (83.8%) |
| 2030 | 53,178,000 | 80,000 (0.2%) | 40,000 | 45.7 | 1.49 | 542 | 44,949,000 (84.5%) |
| 2035 | 53,292,000 | -24,000 (-0.1%) | 40,000 | 47.2 | 1.54 | 543 | 45,466,000 (85.3%) |
| 2040 | 52,793,000 | -149,000 (-0.3%) | 40,000 | 48.6 | 1.59 | 539 | 45,461,000 (86.1%) |
| 2045 | 51,779,000 | -229,000 (-0.4%) | 40,000 | 49.7 | 1.62 | 531 | 44,984,000 (86.9%) |
| 2050 | 50,503,000 | -274,000 (-0.5%) | 40,000 | 50.5 | 1.65 | 519 | 44,243,000 (87.6%) |
The life expectancy at birth should reach 87.4 (84.6 years for male and 90.4 years for females). Population density will go up to 518.9 people per square kilometer.
The demographics of South Korea constitutes of 26,424,000 women and 26,365,000 men, which means there are 998 men per 1000 women. As far as age distribution goes, 17.4% of population (9,195,844) is 19 or younger, 61.9% of population (32,676,391) is between age 20 and 64 and 20.7% of population (10,927,323) is over 65.