According to the 2017 census, South Korea's population stands at 51,181,299 inhabitants. South Korea has a relatively young population, with people under 15 years old representing more than 20% of its population. However, this situation is gradually reversing in the 21st century. The evolution of its population has alerted nearly all social actors, as the fertility rate has reached record lows and the aging rate is soaring.

Evolution of South Korea's Population

The curve showing the evolution of South Korea's population experienced a sharp rise during the 1990s before stabilizing for several years. Conversely, it declined significantly at the beginning of the 21st century.

After Japanese occupation ended in 1945, Koreans numbered barely 20 million inhabitants. The 1949 census estimated the country had only 20,188,641 inhabitants. However, by 1985—thirty years later—the Korean population had doubled, reaching approximately 40,466,577 inhabitants, and by the end of the 20th century, it had grown to 46 million.

Due to family planning campaigns launched in the 21st century, delayed marriage ages, and urbanization, South Korea's population is gradually aging. Over 50 years, the number of people over 65 rose from 3.3% in 1955 to 10.7% in 2009. Furthermore, South Korea displays the world's lowest fertility rate, dropping to 0.98 children per woman in 2008. In contrast, the fertility rate was 6 children per woman in 1962.

Other factors such as women's increased participation in the labor market and improved living conditions have further reinforced this aging trend. An alarming study on fertility rates recently revealed that at this rate, South Korea's population will become extinct by 2750.

Overall, Koreans are concentrated in regions where elevated terrain is less prevalent. Coastal plains, particularly along the northwest and southeast axes, remain the most densely populated zones in South Korea. Seoul alone accounts for nearly 25.5 million inhabitants. Other major cities such as Busan, Daegu, Daejeon, and Jeonju collectively house approximately 14 million Koreans.

With an aging population and a plummeting fertility rate, South Korea's working-age population share diminishes year after year. In 2017, the number of Koreans aged 15 to 64 did not exceed 36 million people.

Demographic Data

Total population: 51,466,201 inhabitants

Natural increase: 0.4%

Urban population: 81.5%

Fertility rate: 0.98 children per woman

Birth rate: 6.4 ‰

Death rate: 5.8 ‰

Life expectancy: 79 years for men and 85.2 years for women

Population density: 425 inhabitants per km²

Median age:

Men: 40.2 years

Women: 43.4 years

Korean Ethnicities

South Korea's population is undeniably homogeneous, with Koreans comprising over 99% of the population. Although Chinese and Japanese living in the country maintain a long shared history with Korea, they represent only 1% of the national population, or more than 2 million as of 2016. Other minorities that characterize South Korea's population consist of foreign communities such as Americans (151,000), Vietnamese (144,000), Thai (92,000), and Cambodian (46,000) residents.

Religion

Most Koreans are Christians, comprising 27.6% of the population, while 15.5% are Buddhist. Thus, Christianity has surpassed Buddhism, the traditional religion in South Korea. This situation is noteworthy since it is quite rare in Asia for the traditional religion to be overshadowed by Buddhism. Non-believers represent nearly 56.9% of the total population.