South Korea
Urban population in South Korea
Urban population in South Korea: 20.6% in 1950 and 81.2% in 2025, by UN estimates.
- Latest, 2025
- 81.2%
- Since 1950
- +60.6 percentage points
- Rank, 2025
- 59 of 229
- counting from the highest
- Projected, 2050
- 83.3%
- UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)
% of people · UN
What the numbers say
- The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts it at 83.3% in 2050.
- The highest was 82% in 2010, the lowest 20.6% in 1950.
Every year
% of people · UN
| Year | South Korea |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 81.2 |
| 2024 | 81.2 |
| 2023 | 81.2 |
| 2022 | 81.2 |
| 2021 | 81.2 |
| 2020 | 81.2 |
| 2019 | 81.3 |
| 2018 | 81.4 |
| 2017 | 81.5 |
| 2016 | 81.6 |
| 2015 | 81.6 |
| 2014 | 81.7 |
| 2013 | 81.8 |
| 2012 | 81.9 |
| 2011 | 82 |
| 2010 | 82 |
| 2009 | 81.9 |
| 2008 | 81.8 |
| 2007 | 81.7 |
| 2006 | 81.6 |
| 2005 | 81.4 |
| 2004 | 81.1 |
| 2003 | 80.7 |
| 2002 | 80.3 |
| 2001 | 79.9 |
| 2000 | 79.6 |
| 1999 | 79.4 |
| 1998 | 79.2 |
| 1997 | 79 |
| 1996 | 78.8 |
| 1995 | 78.4 |
| 1994 | 77.9 |
| 1993 | 77.1 |
| 1992 | 76.2 |
| 1991 | 75.2 |
| 1990 | 74 |
| 1989 | 72.5 |
| 1988 | 70.6 |
| 1987 | 68.6 |
| 1986 | 66.6 |
| 1985 | 64.8 |
| 1984 | 63.2 |
| 1983 | 61.5 |
| 1982 | 60 |
| 1981 | 58.3 |
| 1980 | 56.7 |
| 1979 | 54.9 |
| 1978 | 53.1 |
| 1977 | 51.3 |
| 1976 | 49.6 |
| 1975 | 48 |
| 1974 | 46.5 |
| 1973 | 45.2 |
| 1972 | 43.8 |
| 1971 | 42.4 |
| 1970 | 40.7 |
| 1969 | 38.7 |
| 1968 | 36.5 |
| 1967 | 34.6 |
| 1966 | 33.1 |
| 1965 | 32 |
| 1964 | 31 |
| 1963 | 30.1 |
| 1962 | 29.2 |
| 1961 | 28.5 |
| 1960 | 27.7 |
| 1959 | 27 |
| 1958 | 26.3 |
| 1957 | 25.7 |
| 1956 | 25.1 |
| 1955 | 24.4 |
| 1954 | 23.6 |
| 1953 | 22.9 |
| 1952 | 22.1 |
| 1951 | 21.3 |
| 1950 | 20.6 |
UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) · 2026–2050
| Year | South Korea |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 81.2 |
| 2027 | 81.2 |
| 2028 | 81.2 |
| 2029 | 81.2 |
| 2030 | 81.3 |
| 2031 | 81.3 |
| 2032 | 81.3 |
| 2033 | 81.4 |
| 2034 | 81.4 |
| 2035 | 81.4 |
| 2036 | 81.5 |
| 2037 | 81.6 |
| 2038 | 81.6 |
| 2039 | 81.7 |
| 2040 | 81.8 |
| 2041 | 81.9 |
| 2042 | 82 |
| 2043 | 82.1 |
| 2044 | 82.3 |
| 2045 | 82.4 |
| 2046 | 82.6 |
| 2047 | 82.7 |
| 2048 | 82.9 |
| 2049 | 83.1 |
| 2050 | 83.3 |
Good to know
- The share of people living in places the country itself counts as urban.
- Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025.
- The dashed line is the UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 229 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
South Korea in numbers
Every measure for South Korea on one page
Health
People
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spending2.6% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollars$48.9B in 2025
- Military spending per person$924 in 2025
- Military share of state spending10.8% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnel569,000 people in 2020
- National power2% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workers2.01% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms imports222 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exports2.02 billion TIV in 2025