China vs South Korea
China vs South Korea: Net migration rate
Net migration rate in 2023: -0.4 per 1,000 people in China and 1.7 per 1,000 people in South Korea, by UN estimates. In 2023 the value was higher in South Korea, by 2.1 per 1,000 people.
per 1,000 people · UN
What the numbers say
- South Korea has been higher since 2022, when it overtook China.
- In 2023, China ranked 134 and South Korea ranked 70 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
- The UN projection (medium variant) puts China at -0.1 per 1,000 people and South Korea at -0 per 1,000 people in 2100.
Every year
per 1,000 people · UN
| Year | China | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | -0.4 | 1.7 |
| 2022 | -0.2 | 1.7 |
| 2021 | -0.3 | -0.3 |
| 2020 | -0.1 | 2.2 |
| 2019 | -0.5 | 2.5 |
| 2018 | -0.1 | 2.3 |
| 2017 | -0.1 | 2 |
| 2016 | -0.1 | 1.8 |
| 2015 | -0.5 | 5.4 |
| 2014 | -0.3 | 6.1 |
| 2013 | -0.1 | 6 |
| 2012 | -0 | 5.7 |
| 2011 | -0.3 | 5.5 |
| 2010 | -0.1 | 1.1 |
| 2009 | -0.1 | 0.1 |
| 2008 | -0.6 | -0.4 |
| 2007 | -0.8 | -0.9 |
| 2006 | -0.6 | -0.6 |
| 2005 | -0.1 | -1 |
| 2004 | -0.6 | -0.9 |
| 2003 | -0.5 | -0.7 |
| 2002 | -0.6 | -0.4 |
| 2001 | -0.1 | -0.6 |
| 2000 | -0 | -1.8 |
| 1999 | -0.1 | -2.3 |
| 1998 | -0 | -2.1 |
| 1997 | -0.2 | -2.4 |
| 1996 | -0.2 | -2.5 |
| 1995 | -0.3 | -4.6 |
| 1994 | -0.6 | -4.6 |
| 1993 | -0.3 | -5 |
| 1992 | -0.1 | -6 |
| 1991 | -0.5 | -6.1 |
| 1990 | -0 | 1.8 |
| 1989 | -0.3 | 4.3 |
| 1988 | -0.3 | 4.5 |
| 1987 | -0.2 | 4.7 |
| 1986 | -0.1 | 4.5 |
| 1985 | -0.1 | 2.4 |
| 1984 | -0.1 | 2.5 |
| 1983 | -0 | 2.6 |
| 1982 | -0 | 1.2 |
| 1981 | -0 | 0.5 |
| 1980 | -0 | -3.9 |
| 1979 | -0 | -3.7 |
| 1978 | -0 | -2.3 |
| 1977 | -0 | -2.5 |
| 1976 | -0.1 | -2.5 |
| 1975 | -0.1 | -1.5 |
| 1974 | -0.2 | 0.8 |
| 1973 | -0.2 | 1 |
| 1972 | -0.3 | 0.7 |
| 1971 | -0.2 | -0.2 |
| 1970 | -0.2 | -0.9 |
| 1969 | -0.1 | -0.7 |
| 1968 | -0 | -0.5 |
| 1967 | 1.6 | -0.5 |
| 1966 | 0 | -0.6 |
| 1965 | -0.2 | -5 |
| 1964 | -1.8 | -3.6 |
| 1963 | -0 | -2.9 |
| 1962 | -0 | -3.4 |
| 1961 | -0 | -3.5 |
| 1960 | -0 | 1.8 |
| 1959 | -0 | 3.5 |
| 1958 | -0 | 4.8 |
| 1957 | -0 | 5.4 |
| 1956 | -0 | 6.1 |
| 1955 | -0 | 6.8 |
| 1954 | -0 | 7.6 |
| 1953 | -0 | 8.2 |
| 1952 | -0 | 8.6 |
| 1951 | -0 | 8.4 |
| 1950 | -0 | 7.4 |
UN projection (medium variant) · 2024–2100
| Year | China | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | -0.2-0.9–0.9 | 1.5-2–4.6 |
| 2025 | -0.2-0.9–0.9 | 1.3-3.2–5.6 |
| 2026 | -0.2-0.9–0.9 | 1.2-3.7–6.4 |
| 2027 | -0.2-0.9–0.8 | 1.1-4.6–7.2 |
| 2028 | -0.2-0.9–0.9 | 1.1-5.3–7.4 |
| 2029 | -0.2-0.9–0.8 | 1-5.6–7.1 |
| 2030 | -0.1-0.9–0.8 | 0.9-6.4–7.5 |
| 2031 | -0.2-0.9–0.9 | 0.9-6.5–8 |
| 2032 | -0.2-0.9–0.9 | 0.8-6.6–8.3 |
| 2033 | -0.2-1–0.8 | 0.7-6.5–7.8 |
| 2034 | -0.2-0.9–0.8 | 0.7-6.7–8.1 |
| 2035 | -0.2-1–0.9 | 0.6-7.3–8.4 |
| 2036 | -0.2-0.9–0.8 | 0.6-7.8–8.5 |
| 2037 | -0.2-0.9–0.9 | 0.5-7.5–8.3 |
| 2038 | -0.1-0.9–0.8 | 0.4-7.5–8.6 |
| 2039 | -0.2-1–0.8 | 0.4-7.6–8 |
| 2040 | -0.2-0.9–0.9 | 0.4-7.5–8.2 |
| 2041 | -0.2-0.9–0.9 | 0.3-8.2–8.1 |
| 2042 | -0.2-0.9–0.8 | 0.4-7.7–8.3 |
| 2043 | -0.1-1–0.8 | 0.4-7.7–8.3 |
| 2044 | -0.1-0.9–0.8 | 0.3-7.9–8.1 |
| 2045 | -0.1-0.9–0.9 | 0.4-7.8–8.6 |
| 2046 | -0.2-0.9–0.9 | 0.5-7.9–8.6 |
| 2047 | -0.1-0.9–0.9 | 0.3-7.7–8.7 |
| 2048 | -0.1-0.9–0.8 | 0.4-7.7–9.5 |
| 2049 | -0.2-1–0.9 | 0.3-7.7–8.8 |
| 2050 | -0.1-0.9–0.9 | 0.4-7.7–8.8 |
| 2051 | -0.2-0.9–0.9 | 0.3-7.7–8.8 |
| 2052 | -0.2-1–0.9 | 0.2-7.7–8.7 |
| 2053 | -0.1-1–0.8 | 0.3-7.5–9.2 |
| 2054 | -0.1-0.9–0.8 | 0.5-7.2–9.2 |
| 2055 | -0.1-0.9–0.8 | 0.4-6.9–9.3 |
| 2056 | -0.2-0.9–0.8 | 0.3-7.2–9.4 |
| 2057 | -0.1-0.9–0.9 | 0.1-7.3–9.1 |
| 2058 | -0.1-0.9–0.9 | -0-7.9–8.7 |
| 2059 | -0.1-0.9–0.9 | 0.1-7.3–8.9 |
| 2060 | -0.2-0.9–0.8 | 0-7.6–8.3 |
| 2061 | -0.1-1–0.8 | 0.2-7.5–8.8 |
| 2062 | -0.1-0.9–0.8 | 0-7.9–8.4 |
| 2063 | -0.1-1–0.8 | 0.1-7.6–8.7 |
| 2064 | -0.2-1–0.8 | 0.1-8.1–8.5 |
| 2065 | -0.1-0.9–0.8 | 0.2-7.8–8.2 |
| 2066 | -0.1-1–0.8 | 0.2-7.7–8.5 |
| 2067 | -0.1-0.9–0.8 | 0.2-7.7–8.9 |
| 2068 | -0.1-0.9–0.9 | 0.3-7.6–8.5 |
| 2069 | -0.1-0.9–0.8 | 0.1-7.7–8.8 |
| 2070 | -0.1-0.9–0.8 | 0.1-8–8.4 |
| 2071 | -0.1-1–0.9 | 0.1-8.2–8.4 |
| 2072 | -0.1-1–0.8 | 0.1-7.7–8.6 |
| 2073 | -0.1-0.9–0.9 | 0.2-7.8–8.8 |
| 2074 | -0.1-0.9–0.8 | 0.1-7.5–8.7 |
| 2075 | -0.1-1–0.9 | 0.1-7.7–8.5 |
| 2076 | -0.1-1–0.8 | 0.1-7.4–8.4 |
| 2077 | -0.1-1–0.8 | 0.1-7.7–8.7 |
| 2078 | -0.1-1–0.8 | 0.1-7.6–8.9 |
| 2079 | -0.1-1–0.9 | 0.2-7.3–8.8 |
| 2080 | -0.1-1–0.8 | 0.1-7.3–8.6 |
| 2081 | -0.1-1–0.8 | 0-7.5–8.9 |
| 2082 | -0.1-1–0.8 | 0.1-7.3–8.9 |
| 2083 | -0.1-1–0.8 | 0-7.6–8.4 |
| 2084 | -0.1-1–0.9 | 0.1-7.2–8.6 |
| 2085 | -0.1-0.9–0.8 | 0-7–8.6 |
| 2086 | -0.1-0.9–0.8 | 0.1-7.4–8.8 |
| 2087 | -0.1-1–0.8 | -0-7.3–8.7 |
| 2088 | -0.1-1–0.9 | 0-6.9–8.7 |
| 2089 | -0.1-1–0.8 | 0-7.3–8.3 |
| 2090 | -0.1-1–0.8 | -0-7.7–9 |
| 2091 | -0.1-1–0.8 | -0-7.8–9.4 |
| 2092 | -0.1-1–0.8 | -0-7.4–8.7 |
| 2093 | -0.1-1–0.8 | -0-8.2–8.9 |
| 2094 | -0.1-1–0.9 | 0-7.9–8.9 |
| 2095 | -0.1-1–0.8 | -0-7.4–9.1 |
| 2096 | -0.1-1.1–0.8 | 0.1-7.5–8.9 |
| 2097 | -0.1-1–0.9 | 0.1-7.4–8.3 |
| 2098 | -0.1-1–0.9 | 0.1-7.6–8.6 |
| 2099 | -0.1-1–0.9 | 0.1-7.3–8.4 |
| 2100 | -0.1-1–0.8 | -0-7.7–8.4 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- People moving in minus people moving out in a year, per 1,000 residents; below zero, more left than arrived.
- Source: UN DESA, World Population Prospects 2024.
- The dashed line is the UN projection (medium variant), a scenario rather than a forecast; the band is its 95% prediction interval.
- Ranks count the 229 countries with a value in 2023, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
China vs South Korea
Health
- Life expectancyChina: 78 years in 2023South Korea: 84.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalityChina: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024South Korea: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityChina: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023South Korea: 2.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionChina: 3.31% in 2017South Korea: 3.17% in 2017
- Suicide rateChina: 7.2 per 100,000 people in 2017South Korea: 20.8 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationChina: 1.42 billion people in 2023South Korea: 51.8 million people in 2023
- Population growthChina: -0.24% a year in 2023South Korea: -0.04% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateChina: 1 births per woman in 2023South Korea: 0.72 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationChina: 66.3% in 2025South Korea: 81.2% in 2025
- Median ageChina: 39.1 years in 2023South Korea: 44.5 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overChina: 14.3% in 2023South Korea: 18.3% in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingChina: 1.73% of GDP in 2025South Korea: 2.6% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsChina: $335B in 2025South Korea: $48.9B in 2025
- Military spending per personChina: $237 in 2025South Korea: $924 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingChina: 5.1% of government spending in 2025South Korea: 10.8% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelChina: 2.54 million people in 2020South Korea: 569,000 people in 2020
- National powerChina: 23.41% of world capability in 2022South Korea: 2% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersChina: 0.33% of the labour force in 2020South Korea: 2.01% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsChina: 207 million TIV in 2025South Korea: 222 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsChina: 880 million TIV in 2025South Korea: 2.02 billion TIV in 2025