South Korea: Population size

The latest value from 2025 is 51.68 million, a decline from 51.75 million in 2024. In comparison, the world average is 41.66 million, based on data from 196 countries. Historically, the average for South Korea from 1960 to 2025 is 42.2 million. The minimum value, 25.01 million, was reached in 1960 while the maximum of 51.84 million was recorded in 2020. See the global rankings for that indicator or use the country comparator to compare trends over time.

The population size of South Korea and other countries is defined as the number of people living on the territory of the country. It includes domestic born and foreign born residents.

Definition: Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.