South Korea vs World: Population density (people per sq. km of land area)
Population density (people per sq. km of land area) over time
- South Korea
- World
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 529.84 people per sq. km of land area against 62.14 people per sq. km of land area in World, a difference of 467.7 people per sq. km of land area.
That makes South Korea's figure about 8.5 times World's.
Across all 63 years both countries report, South Korea has been ahead every year.
South Korea ranks 24th and World ranks 21st of 216 countries.
South Korea has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | World | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 297.39 people per sq. km of land area | 31.9 people per sq. km of land area | 265.5 people per sq. km of land area | South Korea |
| 1970s | 362.29 people per sq. km of land area | 38.59 people per sq. km of land area | 323.7 people per sq. km of land area | South Korea |
| 1980s | 419.46 people per sq. km of land area | 46.19 people per sq. km of land area | 373.27 people per sq. km of land area | South Korea |
| 1990s | 464.67 people per sq. km of land area | 46.68 people per sq. km of land area | 418 people per sq. km of land area | South Korea |
| 2000s | 497.42 people per sq. km of land area | 51.33 people per sq. km of land area | 446.09 people per sq. km of land area | South Korea |
| 2010s | 521.29 people per sq. km of land area | 57.12 people per sq. km of land area | 464.18 people per sq. km of land area | South Korea |
| 2020s | 530.2 people per sq. km of land area | 61.29 people per sq. km of land area | 468.92 people per sq. km of land area | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population density, South Korea or World?
- South Korea, at 529.84 people per sq. km of land area against 62.14 people per sq. km of land area in World as of 2023.
- What is the difference in population density between South Korea and World?
- 467.7 people per sq. km of land area, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and World?
- 63 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2023.
- How do South Korea and World rank globally for population density?
- South Korea ranks 24th and World ranks 21st of 216 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as Population density (people per sq. km of land area). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.