South Korea: Population and Key Statistics

AsiaCapital: Seoul#25 by population

Once one of the world's poorest countries in the 1950s, South Korea today stands at the forefront of advanced technology economies, with income per capita above $36,000. Home to global giants in semiconductor, smartphone, and automotive manufacturing, the country has an internet usage rate above 97%.

It is also known for the world's lowest fertility rate (fewer than one child per woman), which is the main reason for its rapidly aging population. Cultural exports driven by K-pop and television dramas have made Korea a global soft power hub.

Population (2025)
51.7 million
51,684,564 people
GDP (2025)
$1,872bn
nominal, current US dollars
GDP per capita
$36,227
Life expectancy
83.6
years
Area
100,450
km²
Population density
515
people/km²
Median age
45.5
Internet usage
97.9%

Military Strength

Military expenditure (2024)
$47.6bn
47,571 million dollars
Share of GDP
2.56%
NATO guideline: 2%
Share of government spending
11.32%
Spending per capita
$920
per year, per person
Armed forces (2020)
569 thousand
569,000 active personnel
Armed forces per 1,000 people
11.0
2.01% of the labor force

Expenditure figures come from SIPRI and personnel counts from the IISS, both distributed through the World Bank. Source years differ by indicator, so each figure is shown with its own year.

How South Korea compares

South Korea and China — core indicators
010 b20 b30 b40 bGDP per capita ($)Life expectancy (years)Internet usage (%)GDP per capita ($) — South Korea: 36.227Life expectancy (years) — South Korea: 83,6Internet usage (%) — South Korea: 97,9GDP per capita ($) — China: 13.862Life expectancy (years) — China: 78Internet usage (%) — China: 91,6
South KoreaChina

The indicators use different scales, so the chart is a rough visual comparison only. For exact figures see the full side-by-side comparison.

Data sourcesPopulation and social indicators: UN World Population Prospects, World BankEconomy: IMF World Economic Outlook, World BankMilitary: SIPRI and IISS, distributed through the World BankLast refreshed: 2026-08-26