Population in the largest city (% of urban population) in South Korea
South Korea: Population in the largest city (% of urban population) was 23.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
23.9%
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
100th
of 153 countries
All-time high
40.5%
in 1970
All-time low
23.7%
in 2019
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population in the largest city in South Korea, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 23.9% for population in the largest city in 2025.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in the largest city in South Korea peaked at 40.5% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 23.7%, in 2019.
South Korea ranks 100th of 153 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Population in the largest city (% of urban population) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 34.1% | — |
| 1961 | 34.9% | +2.2% |
| 1962 | 35.5% | +2.0% |
| 1963 | 36.2% | +2.0% |
| 1964 | 37.0% | +2.0% |
| 1965 | 37.6% | +1.8% |
| 1966 | 38.2% | +1.5% |
| 1967 | 39.0% | +2.0% |
| 1968 | 39.4% | +1.1% |
| 1969 | 39.8% | +0.9% |
| 1970 | 40.5% | +1.8% |
| 1971 | 40.4% | -0.1% |
| 1972 | 40.2% | -0.5% |
| 1973 | 40.2% | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 40.2% | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 40.2% | -0.0% |
| 1976 | 39.9% | -0.9% |
| 1977 | 39.4% | -1.2% |
| 1978 | 38.9% | -1.2% |
| 1979 | 38.5% | -1.1% |
| 1980 | 38.2% | -0.9% |
| 1981 | 37.6% | -1.6% |
| 1982 | 36.9% | -1.9% |
| 1983 | 36.2% | -1.7% |
| 1984 | 35.7% | -1.4% |
| 1985 | 35.3% | -1.2% |
| 1986 | 34.8% | -1.3% |
| 1987 | 34.3% | -1.5% |
| 1988 | 33.8% | -1.5% |
| 1989 | 33.4% | -1.2% |
| 1990 | 33.2% | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 32.4% | -2.2% |
| 1992 | 31.4% | -3.1% |
| 1993 | 30.5% | -2.9% |
| 1994 | 29.7% | -2.7% |
| 1995 | 29.0% | -2.4% |
| 1996 | 28.4% | -2.1% |
| 1997 | 27.8% | -2.0% |
| 1998 | 27.4% | -1.7% |
| 1999 | 26.9% | -1.7% |
| 2000 | 26.4% | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 26.0% | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 25.7% | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 25.4% | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 25.2% | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 25.0% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 24.8% | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 24.7% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 24.4% | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 24.3% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 24.1% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 24.0% | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 23.9% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 23.9% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 23.8% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 23.8% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 23.7% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 23.8% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 23.7% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 23.7% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 23.7% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 23.7% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 23.8% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 23.8% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 23.8% | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 23.9% | +0.3% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 23.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 28.2%, 85% of the median. (49 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 23.9% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 25.4%, 94% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 37.2% | 34.1% | 39.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 39.9% | 38.5% | 40.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 35.6% | 33.4% | 38.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 29.7% | 26.9% | 33.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 25.2% | 24.3% | 26.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.8% | 23.7% | 24.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.8% | 23.7% | 23.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More urban development data for South Korea
- Population density 530.24 people per sq. km of land area (2024)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 21.89 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.511 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 26.41 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 0.2996 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 269.03 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 10.03 million (2025)
- PM2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO 100.0% (2017)
- Adjusted rural to urban parity index for achieving a minimum 0.9113 (2012)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in the largest city in South Korea?
- Population in the largest city in South Korea was 23.9% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in the largest city recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 40.5% in 1970.
- What is the lowest population in the largest city recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.7% in 2019.
- How does South Korea rank for population in the largest city?
- South Korea ranks 100th out of 153 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in the largest city rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population in the largest city (% of urban population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.