Urban population (% of total population) in South Korea
South Korea: Urban population (% of total population) was 81.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
81.2%
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
54th
of 218 countries
All-time high
82.0%
in 2010
All-time low
27.7%
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Urban population in South Korea, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2025, urban population in South Korea stood at 81.2%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in South Korea peaked at 82.0% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 27.7%, in 1960.
South Korea ranks 54th of 218 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population (% of total population) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 27.7% | — |
| 1961 | 28.4% | +2.8% |
| 1962 | 29.2% | +2.8% |
| 1963 | 30.1% | +2.8% |
| 1964 | 31.0% | +3.0% |
| 1965 | 32.0% | +3.3% |
| 1966 | 33.1% | +3.6% |
| 1967 | 34.6% | +4.4% |
| 1968 | 36.5% | +5.7% |
| 1969 | 38.7% | +6.0% |
| 1970 | 40.7% | +5.2% |
| 1971 | 42.3% | +4.0% |
| 1972 | 43.8% | +3.4% |
| 1973 | 45.1% | +3.1% |
| 1974 | 46.5% | +3.0% |
| 1975 | 48.0% | +3.1% |
| 1976 | 49.6% | +3.3% |
| 1977 | 51.3% | +3.5% |
| 1978 | 53.1% | +3.5% |
| 1979 | 54.9% | +3.4% |
| 1980 | 56.7% | +3.2% |
| 1981 | 58.3% | +3.0% |
| 1982 | 60.0% | +2.8% |
| 1983 | 61.5% | +2.7% |
| 1984 | 63.1% | +2.6% |
| 1985 | 64.8% | +2.6% |
| 1986 | 66.6% | +2.7% |
| 1987 | 68.6% | +3.0% |
| 1988 | 70.6% | +3.0% |
| 1989 | 72.5% | +2.7% |
| 1990 | 74.0% | +2.1% |
| 1991 | 75.2% | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 76.2% | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 77.1% | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 77.9% | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 78.4% | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 78.8% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 79.0% | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 79.2% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 79.4% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 79.6% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 79.9% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 80.3% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 80.7% | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 81.1% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 81.4% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 81.6% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 81.7% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 81.8% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 81.9% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 82.0% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 82.0% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 81.9% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 81.8% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 81.7% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 81.6% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 81.6% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 81.5% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 81.4% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 81.3% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 81.2% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 81.2% | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 81.2% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 81.2% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 81.2% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 81.2% | +0.0% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 81.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 81.3%, 100% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 81.2% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 65.4%, 1.2× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 32.1% | 27.7% | 38.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 47.5% | 40.7% | 54.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 64.3% | 56.7% | 72.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 77.5% | 74.0% | 79.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 81.0% | 79.6% | 81.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 81.7% | 81.3% | 82.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 81.2% | 81.2% | 81.2% | 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 in South Korea?
- Urban population in South Korea was 81.2% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 82.0% in 2010.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.7% in 1960.
- How does South Korea rank for urban population?
- South Korea ranks 54th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.