Page last modified 21 August 2023
(South) Korea
Community
Area 99,720 square kilometres (land area 96,920 square kilometres)
Population,
All Korea,
10,500,000 (1900)
21,891,180 (1935)
South Korea,
8,000,000 (1900)
14,565,000 (1939)
20,166,000 (1949)
25,350,000 (1960)
32,200,000 (1970) +27.0%
38,000,000 (1980) +18.0%
42,900,000 (1990) +12.9%
47,400,000 (2000) +10.5%
49,500,000 (2010) +4.4%
51,781,000 (2020) +4.6%
Ethnicity; 2.7% of the population of South Korea are non-nationals; however most of these are ethnic Koreans with another citizenship.
|
|
Chinese |
Japanese |
Korean |
|
1935 |
|
2.5 |
97.1 |
|
1970 |
0.1 |
|
99.8 |
|
1980 |
|
|
99.0 |
|
2000 |
0.5 |
|
99.5 |
Religion, %
|
|
Animist |
Buddhist |
Christian Protestant |
Christian R C |
Confucian |
No religion |
|
1900 |
81.3 |
10.0 |
0.1 |
0.0 |
8.0 |
0.0 |
|
1970 |
57.4 |
16.5 |
7.0 |
3.3 |
14.7 |
0.3 |
|
1990 |
|
24.0 |
16.0 |
5.0 |
|
|
|
2001 |
|
23.3 |
23.3 |
6.7 |
0.5 |
49.6 |
|
2015 |
|
15.5 |
19.7 |
7.9 |
|
56.9 |
Birth and death rates Below replacement rate = 2.1
|
|
Fertility Rate |
Birth Rate |
Infant Mortality |
Death Rate |
% Aged Under 15 |
% Aged Over 65 |
% Urban |
|
1952 |
|
37.0 (+5.0) |
115.0 |
32.0 |
41.7 |
3.1 |
18.3 |
|
1960 |
6.0 |
42.0 (+28.0) |
81.5 |
14.0 |
43.2 |
3.4 |
27.7 |
|
1970 |
4.5 |
29.5 (+21.5) |
48.0 |
8.0 |
42.0 |
3.5 |
40.7 |
|
1980 |
2.8 |
23.0 (+16.7) |
29.7 |
7.3 |
34.0 |
4.1 |
56.7 |
|
1990 |
1.6 |
15.6 (+10.0) |
13.5 |
5.6 |
25.4 |
5.2 |
73.8 |
|
2000 |
1.5 |
11.6 (+6.4) |
6.4 |
5.2 |
20.6 |
7.2 |
79.6 |
|
2010 |
1.2 |
9.4 (+4.4) |
3.5 |
5.1 |
16.1 |
10.7 |
81.9 |
|
2015 |
1.2 |
8.6 (+3.2) |
3.0 |
5.4 |
13.9 |
13.0 |
81.6 |
|
2016 |
1.2* |
|
2.9 |
|
13.7 |
13.4 |
|
|
2017 |
1.1 |
7.0 (+1.4) |
2.8 |
5.6 |
|
|
|
|
2018 |
|
|
2.7 |
|
13.0 |
14.4 |
81.5 |
*0.8 in the capital Seoul.
Life expectancy,
47.5 (1955); 46.0 (M), 49.0 (F)
53.0 (1960); 50.6 (M), 55.5 (F)
62.0 (1970); 58.7 (M), 65.6 (F)
65.8 (1980); 61.8 (M), 70.0 (F)
71.3 (1990); 67.3 (M), 75.5 (F)
75.4 (2000); 72.3 (M), 79.6 (F)
80.6 (2010); 77.2 (M), 84.0 (F)
83.1 (2020); 80.0 (M), 86.0 (F)
Population of principal cities, 1,000s
|
|
Busan |
Daegu |
Daejon |
Gwangju |
Incheon1 |
SEOUL2 |
|
1900 |
15 |
|
|
|
|
150 |
|
1935 |
|
107 |
|
|
|
445 |
|
1940 |
|
|
|
|
|
935 |
|
1950 |
542 |
239 |
134 |
152 |
366 |
1,446 |
|
1960 |
1,045 |
614 |
229 |
314 |
319 |
1,643 |
|
1970 |
1,430 |
847 |
367 |
515 |
529 |
3,805 |
|
1984 |
3,495 |
2,012 |
842 |
870 |
1,295 |
9,501 |
|
1990 |
3,798 |
2,229 |
1,062 |
1,145 |
1,818 |
10,628 |
|
1995 |
3,814 |
2,449 |
1,272 |
1,258 |
2,308 |
10,231 |
|
2000 |
3,663 |
2,481 |
1,368 |
1,353 |
2,475 |
9,895 |
|
2005 |
3,440 |
2,307 |
1,439 |
1,414 |
2,448 |
9,763 |
|
2009 |
|
|
|
|
|
10,232 |
|
2014 |
|
2,493 |
|
1,478 |
|
|
|
2017 |
8,202 MA |
|
1,512 |
|
3,003 |
10,198 |
1Incheon is the main port for Seoul.� Formerly known as Chemulpo, it has a large steelworks.
2Seoul was chosen as capital of Korea by Li Sung Ke in 1392. Its name derives from the Korean word for �capital�,� sieur.
Wealth; Gross Domestic Product (nominal values)
|
|
GDP, US$ million |
Total GDP, % of USA |
GDP per capita, US$ |
GDP per capita % of USA |
|
1950 |
600 |
|
|
|
|
1960 |
3,960 |
0.73 |
158 |
5.25 |
|
1965 |
3,120 |
0.42 |
108 |
2.82 |
|
1970 |
8,870 |
0.85 |
275 |
5.24 |
|
1975 |
21,140 |
1.29 |
599 |
7.66 |
|
1980 |
62,630 |
2.24 |
1,632 |
12.95 |
|
1985 |
93.530 |
0.00 |
2,290 |
12.53 |
|
1990 |
252,570 |
4.35 |
5,893 |
24.60 |
|
1995 |
489,630 |
6.62 |
12,333 |
41.02 |
|
2000 |
457,460 |
4.59 |
11,950 |
32.78 |
|
2005 |
787,600 |
6.02 |
18,650 |
42.09 |
|
2010 |
1,014,000 |
6.78 |
22,100 |
45.69 |
|
2015 |
1,383,000 |
7.67 |
27,100 |
48.21 |
|
2016 |
1,410,000 |
7.59 |
27,538 |
47.92 |
GDP by primary sector
|
|
Agriculture % GDP |
Agriculture % employed |
Industry % GDP |
Industry % employed |
Services % GDP |
Services % employed |
|
1960 |
33.0 |
66.0 |
|
9.0 |
|
25.0 |
|
1970 |
|
49.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
1980 |
14.0 |
34.0 |
27.0 |
29.0 |
51.0 |
37.0 |
|
1990 |
10.0 |
17.0 |
44.0 |
36.0 |
46.0 |
47.0 |
|
2000 |
4.4 |
10.0 |
41.4 |
22.0 |
54.1 |
68.0 |
|
2010 |
3.0 |
7.3 |
39.4 |
24.3 |
57.6 |
68.4 |
|
2016 |
2.2 |
4.9 |
38.6 |
24.1 |
59.2 |
71.0 |
Communications
Language Official; Korean
Literacy
71.0% (1960)
88.0% (1970)
91.0% (1975)
92.7% (1980); 97.5% (M), 87.9% (F)
94.5% (1985)
96.3% (1990)
97.9% (2000); 99.2% (M), 96.6% (F)
Physical communications � roads
|
|
Roads (km) |
Motor vehicles |
Cars |
Commercial Vehicles |
|
1935 |
27,388 |
|
|
|
|
1946 |
|
7,000 |
|
|
|
1952 |
|
10,000 |
1,718 |
6,845 |
|
1959 |
26,169 |
29,000 |
|
14,119 |
|
1962 |
27,000 |
|
8,778 |
17,499 |
|
1967 |
34,476 |
57,036 |
23,235 |
22,955 |
|
1977 |
45,663 |
|
125,600 |
119,100 |
|
1980 |
48,000 |
774,227 |
249,102 |
226,940 |
|
1987 |
55,000 |
1,900,000 |
1,000,000 |
600,000 |
|
1997 |
84,968 |
9,964,000 |
7,586,474 |
2,072,256 |
|
2001 |
91,396 |
12,914,115 |
8,889,327 |
|
|
2007 |
|
16,428,000 |
12,020,700 |
4,189,000 |
|
2010 |
|
17,942,000 |
|
|
|
2013 |
|
19,401,000 |
|
|
|
2015 |
99,025 |
21,000,000 |
16,380,000 |
|
All Korea
Railways; First railway opened September 1899, 42 kilometres, Seoul to Chemulpo.
|
|
Length (km) |
% electrified |
|
1910 |
35 |
|
|
1910 |
1,093 |
|
|
1920 |
1,874 |
|
|
1930 |
2,809 |
|
|
1940 |
4,320 |
|
|
1950 |
2,801 |
|
|
1960 |
2,850 |
|
|
1962 |
3,055 |
|
|
1981 |
3,135 |
13.7 |
|
2005 |
3,374 |
41.0 |
|
2015 |
3,874 |
70.4 |
All
Korea
Urban metro systems, kilometres (year opened)
|
|
Busan (1985) |
Daegu (1997) |
Daejeon (2006) |
Gwangju (2004) |
Incheon (1999) |
Seoul (1974) |
|
1992 |
26.0 |
|
|
|
|
126.0 |
|
1997 |
35.0 |
|
|
|
|
218.0 |
|
2001 |
71.0 |
25.7 |
|
|
24.6 |
287.0 |
|
2010 |
95.8 |
53.9 |
22.7 |
20.1 |
29.4 |
317.0 |
|
2012 |
|
|
|
|
|
327.0 |
|
2015 |
116.5 |
57.3 |
22.7 |
20.1 |
58.5 |
331.5 |
Electronic communications,� TV broadcasting began in 1956
|
|
Telephones (landlines) 1,000s |
Mobile Telephones |
Radios 1,000s |
Televisions 1,000s |
PCs |
Internet Users |
|
1935 |
49 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1939 |
|
|
135 |
|
|
|
|
1950 |
|
|
88 |
|
|
|
|
1959 |
73 |
|
|
55 |
|
|
|
1960 |
|
|
380 |
|
|
|
|
1961 |
|
|
1,158 |
|
|
|
|
1969 |
49 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1976 |
|
|
10,050 |
|
|
|
|
1978 |
1,978 |
|
|
4,630 |
|
|
|
1980 |
2,700 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1982 |
|
|
17,000 |
6,850 |
|
|
|
1986 |
|
7,090 |
|
|
|
|
|
1988 |
|
|
|
|
470,000 |
|
|
1990 |
13,276 |
80,000 |
43,350 |
9,000 |
1,595,000 |
|
|
1995 |
|
1,640,000 |
46,000 |
15,000 |
4,857,000 |
3,100,000 |
|
2000 |
25,863 |
26,800,000 |
48,600 |
17,000 |
16,815,000 |
|
|
2002 |
|
|
|
|
21,000,000 |
25,600,000 |
|
2005 |
|
38,342,000 |
|
20,000 |
|
33,000,000 |
|
2010 |
28,543 |
50,767,000 |
|
|
|
39,400,000 |
|
2016 |
28,036 |
58,935,000 |
|
|
|
44,153,000 |
All
Korea
Tourism: Visitors to South Korea,
517,590 (1974)
950,000 (1979)
976,415 (1980)
2,959,000 (1990)
3,753,000 (1995)
5,322,000 (2000)
6,023,000 (2005)
8,798,000 (2010)
13,232,000 (2015)