section_path: Demographics
section_name: Demographics
paragraph_text: Demographics
  
  South Korea had an estimated population of roughly 51.7 million in 2022. Despite its population more than doubling since 1960, South Korea's birth rate became the world's lowest in 2009, at an annual rate of approximately 9 births per 1000 people. Fertility saw some modest increase afterwards, but dropped to a new global low in 2017, with fewer than 30,000 births per month for the first time since records began, and less than 1 child per woman in 2018. Consequently, in 2020, the country recorded more deaths than births, resulting in the first population decrease since modern records began. By 2021, the fertility rate stood at just 0.81 children per woman, well below the replacement rate of 2.1, and fell further to 0.78 in 2022 and 0.72 in 2023—the lowest in the world. Consequently, South Korea has the steepest decline in working age population among OECD nations, with the proportion of people aged 65 years and over slated to reach over 20% by 2025 and close to 45% by 2050.
  
  South Korea is noted for its population density, which was an estimated 514.6 per square kilometre (1,333/sq mi) in 2022, more than 10 times the global average.
  
  Most South Koreans live in urban areas following rapid migration from the countryside during the country's rapid economic expansion in the 1970s through the 1990s. About half the population (24.5 million) is concentrated in the Seoul National Capital Area, making it the world's second largest metropolitan area; other major cities include Busan (3.5 million), Incheon (3.0 million), Daegu (2.5 million), Daejeon (1.4 million), Gwangju (1.4 million) and Ulsan (1.1 million).
  
  The population has been shaped by international migration. After World War II and the division of the Korean Peninsula, about four million people from North Korea crossed the border to South Korea. This trend of net entry reversed over the next 40 years because of emigration, especially to North America through the United States and Canada. South Korea's total population in 1955 was 21.5 million, which would more than double to 50 million by 2010.
  
  South Korea is considered one of the most ethnically homogeneous societies in the world, with ethnic Koreans representing approximately 96% of total population. Precise numbers are difficult to estimate since statistics do not record ethnicity, given that many immigrants are ethnically Korean themselves, and some South Korean citizens are not ethnically Korean.
  
  The percentage of foreign nationals has been growing rapidly since late 1990s. As of 2016, South Korea had 1,413,758 foreign residents, 2.75% of the population; however, many of them are ethnic Koreans with a foreign citizenship. For example, migrants from China (PRC) make up 56.5% of foreign nationals, but approximately 70% of the Chinese citizens in Korea are Joseonjok (조선족), PRC citizens of Korean ethnicity. In addition, about 43,000 English teachers from English-speaking countries reside temporarily in Korea. South Korea has one of the highest rates of growth of foreign born population, with about 30,000 foreign born residents obtaining South Korean citizenship every year since 2010.
  
  Large numbers of ethnic Koreans live overseas, sometimes in Korean ethnic neighborhoods also known as Koreatowns. The four largest diaspora populations can be found in China (2.3 million), the United States (1.8 million), Japan (0.85 million), and Canada (0.25 million).
  
  Corresponding to its socioeconomic development, South Korea has experienced a dramatic increase in life expectancy, from 79.10 years in 2008 (which was 34th in the world), to 83.53 years in 2024—the fifth highest of any country or territory.