Urban population growth in Korea
Korea: Urban population growth was -0.1% in 2025. β Volatile
Urban population growth in Korea, 1961β2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, urban population growth in 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 Korea peaked at 8.1% in 1969 and was at its lowest, -0.2%, in 2022.
Korea ranks 192nd of 217 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
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 Korea
More climate change data for Korea
- Share co2 vs population 0.2146 (2100)
- Urban population 81.2% (2025)
- Urban population 41.95 million (2025)
- Population, total 51.68 million (2025)
- Population growth -0.1% (2025)
- Annual Net Emissions/Removals 668.25 (2024)
- Temperature change with respect to a baseline climatology 2.54 (2024)
- Per capita COβ emissions vs. per capita energy use 11.29 tonnes per person (2024)
- Share global cumulative co2 including land 0.7622 (2024)
- Cumulative co2 including land 20.97 billion (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population growth in Korea?
- Urban population growth in Korea was -0.1% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population growth recorded in Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 8.1% in 1969.
- What is the lowest urban population growth recorded in Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.2% in 2022.
- How does Korea rank for urban population growth?
- Korea ranks 192nd out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population growth rising or falling in Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 129.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this 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 Β· JSON β 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.