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 190th of 215 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 South Korea
More climate change data for South Korea
- Population growth -0.1% (2025)
- Population, total 51.68 million (2025)
- Urban population 41.95 million (2025)
- Urban population 81.2% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 51.1% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 29.2 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 45.0% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 17.7% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 5.9% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 2.3% (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 190th out of 215 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.