Urban population growth in South Korea
South Korea: Urban population growth was -0.1% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population growth in South Korea, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, urban population growth in South Korea stood at -0.1%.
The figure is down 254.0% on the previous year and down 129.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population growth in South Korea peaked at 8.1% in 1969 and was at its lowest, -0.2%, in 2022.
South Korea ranks 193rd of 218 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Urban population growth in South Korea, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 5.7% | — |
| 1962 | 5.6% | -1.8% |
| 1963 | 5.6% | -0.3% |
| 1964 | 5.6% | -0.1% |
| 1965 | 5.7% | +3.3% |
| 1966 | 6.0% | +4.8% |
| 1967 | 6.6% | +10.3% |
| 1968 | 7.9% | +18.7% |
| 1969 | 8.1% | +2.2% |
| 1970 | 7.2% | -10.3% |
| 1971 | 5.9% | -18.0% |
| 1972 | 5.2% | -11.8% |
| 1973 | 4.8% | -7.7% |
| 1974 | 4.7% | -2.9% |
| 1975 | 4.8% | +1.8% |
| 1976 | 4.9% | +2.6% |
| 1977 | 5.0% | +2.0% |
| 1978 | 5.0% | -0.7% |
| 1979 | 4.9% | -2.0% |
| 1980 | 4.7% | -3.1% |
| 1981 | 4.5% | -4.8% |
| 1982 | 4.3% | -4.5% |
| 1983 | 4.1% | -4.2% |
| 1984 | 3.8% | -7.1% |
| 1985 | 3.6% | -6.6% |
| 1986 | 3.7% | +4.2% |
| 1987 | 3.9% | +5.8% |
| 1988 | 3.9% | -0.9% |
| 1989 | 3.6% | -7.1% |
| 1990 | 3.1% | -15.4% |
| 1991 | 2.6% | -16.1% |
| 1992 | 2.4% | -6.2% |
| 1993 | 2.2% | -8.4% |
| 1994 | 2.0% | -10.5% |
| 1995 | 1.7% | -13.9% |
| 1996 | 1.4% | -17.7% |
| 1997 | 1.2% | -11.1% |
| 1998 | 1.0% | -22.7% |
| 1999 | 0.9% | -2.3% |
| 2000 | 1.1% | +18.2% |
| 2001 | 1.1% | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 1.1% | -5.9% |
| 2003 | 1.1% | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 0.9% | -15.9% |
| 2005 | 0.6% | -36.4% |
| 2006 | 0.7% | +31.6% |
| 2007 | 0.7% | -7.8% |
| 2008 | 0.9% | +33.1% |
| 2009 | 0.6% | -31.4% |
| 2010 | 0.6% | -11.5% |
| 2011 | 0.8% | +37.8% |
| 2012 | 0.5% | -39.3% |
| 2013 | 0.4% | -23.0% |
| 2014 | 0.5% | +44.0% |
| 2015 | 0.4% | -19.0% |
| 2016 | 0.3% | -29.0% |
| 2017 | 0.2% | -39.9% |
| 2018 | 0.3% | +83.6% |
| 2019 | 0.2% | -27.8% |
| 2020 | -0.0% | -101.1% |
| 2021 | -0.1% | +5424.4% |
| 2022 | -0.2% | +27.4% |
| 2023 | 0.1% | -142.9% |
| 2024 | 0.1% | -1.4% |
| 2025 | -0.1% | -254.0% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's -0.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.6%. (85 countries reporting)
- South Korea's -0.1% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.9%. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Urban population growth in South Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | -5424.4% | -0.0% | -0.1% |
| 2025 | -254.0% | 0.1% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | +142.9% | -0.2% | 0.1% |
| 2020 | -101.1% | 0.2% | -0.0% |
| 2018 | +83.6% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6.3% | 5.6% | 8.1% | 9 |
| 1970s | 5.2% | 4.7% | 7.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.0% | 3.6% | 4.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.8% | 0.9% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9% | 0.6% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.0% | -0.2% | 0.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More climate change data for South Korea
- Spring temperature anomalies 1.1 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.7164 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month -0.8996 °C (2026)
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.2% (2100)
- Population, total, annual growth rate -0.1285 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, total, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate -0.1214 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.8117 units per person (2025)
- Precipitation anomalies, annual growth rate -78.08 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population growth in South Korea?
- Urban population growth in South Korea was -0.1% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population growth recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 8.1% in 1969.
- What is the lowest urban population growth recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.2% in 2022.
- How does South Korea rank for urban population growth?
- South Korea ranks 193rd out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population growth rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 129.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual urban population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear urban population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank total population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.