Birth rate, crude in South Korea

South Korea: Birth rate, crude was 4.7 per 1,000 people in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
4.7 per 1,000 people
Change on year
up 4.4%
World rank
216th
of 217 countries
All-time high
42.07 per 1,000 people
in 1960
All-time low
4.5 per 1,000 people
in 2023
Years of data
65
1960–2024

Birth rate, crude in South Korea, 1960–2024

010203040196019922024

Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in per 1,000 people.

Analysis

South Korea recorded 4.7 per 1,000 people for birth rate, crude in 2024.

The figure is up 4.4% on the previous year and down 45.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, birth rate, crude in South Korea peaked at 42.07 per 1,000 people in 1960 and was at its lowest, 4.5 per 1,000 people, in 2023.

That places South Korea 216th out of 217 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Birth rate, crude in South Korea, year by year

Annual values for Birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people) in South Korea, 1960 to 2024.
Year per 1,000 people Change
1960 42.07 per 1,000 people
1961 40.85 per 1,000 people -2.9%
1962 38.97 per 1,000 people -4.6%
1963 37.19 per 1,000 people -4.6%
1964 35.17 per 1,000 people -5.4%
1965 33.75 per 1,000 people -4.0%
1966 32.79 per 1,000 people -2.9%
1967 31.53 per 1,000 people -3.8%
1968 30.74 per 1,000 people -2.5%
1969 30.32 per 1,000 people -1.4%
1970 31.2 per 1,000 people +2.9%
1971 31.2 per 1,000 people +0.0%
1972 28.4 per 1,000 people -9.0%
1973 28.3 per 1,000 people -0.4%
1974 26.6 per 1,000 people -6.0%
1975 24.8 per 1,000 people -6.8%
1976 22.2 per 1,000 people -10.5%
1977 22.7 per 1,000 people +2.3%
1978 20.3 per 1,000 people -10.6%
1979 23 per 1,000 people +13.3%
1980 22.6 per 1,000 people -1.7%
1981 22.4 per 1,000 people -0.9%
1982 21.6 per 1,000 people -3.6%
1983 19.3 per 1,000 people -10.6%
1984 16.7 per 1,000 people -13.5%
1985 16.1 per 1,000 people -3.6%
1986 15.4 per 1,000 people -4.3%
1987 15 per 1,000 people -2.6%
1988 15.1 per 1,000 people +0.7%
1989 15.1 per 1,000 people +0.0%
1990 15.2 per 1,000 people +0.7%
1991 16.4 per 1,000 people +7.9%
1992 16.7 per 1,000 people +1.8%
1993 16 per 1,000 people -4.2%
1994 16 per 1,000 people +0.0%
1995 15.7 per 1,000 people -1.9%
1996 15 per 1,000 people -4.5%
1997 14.5 per 1,000 people -3.3%
1998 13.7 per 1,000 people -5.5%
1999 13.2 per 1,000 people -3.6%
2000 13.5 per 1,000 people +2.3%
2001 11.7 per 1,000 people -13.3%
2002 10.3 per 1,000 people -12.0%
2003 10.2 per 1,000 people -1.0%
2004 9.8 per 1,000 people -3.9%
2005 9 per 1,000 people -8.2%
2006 9.2 per 1,000 people +2.2%
2007 10.1 per 1,000 people +9.8%
2008 9.4 per 1,000 people -6.9%
2009 9 per 1,000 people -4.3%
2010 9.4 per 1,000 people +4.4%
2011 9.4 per 1,000 people +0.0%
2012 9.6 per 1,000 people +2.1%
2013 8.6 per 1,000 people -10.4%
2014 8.6 per 1,000 people +0.0%
2015 8.6 per 1,000 people +0.0%
2016 7.9 per 1,000 people -8.1%
2017 7 per 1,000 people -11.4%
2018 6.4 per 1,000 people -8.6%
2019 5.9 per 1,000 people -7.8%
2020 5.3 per 1,000 people -10.2%
2021 5.1 per 1,000 people -3.8%
2022 4.9 per 1,000 people -3.9%
2023 4.5 per 1,000 people -8.2%
2024 4.7 per 1,000 people +4.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 35.34 per 1,000 people 30.32 per 1,000 people 42.07 per 1,000 people 10
1970s 25.87 per 1,000 people 20.3 per 1,000 people 31.2 per 1,000 people 10
1980s 17.93 per 1,000 people 15 per 1,000 people 22.6 per 1,000 people 10
1990s 15.24 per 1,000 people 13.2 per 1,000 people 16.7 per 1,000 people 10
2000s 10.22 per 1,000 people 9 per 1,000 people 13.5 per 1,000 people 10
2010s 8.14 per 1,000 people 5.9 per 1,000 people 9.6 per 1,000 people 10
2020s 4.9 per 1,000 people 4.5 per 1,000 people 5.3 per 1,000 people 5

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 213 Ukraine 5.47 per 1,000 people compare
  2. 214 Macao 5.3 per 1,000 people compare
  3. 215 Hong Kong 4.9 per 1,000 people compare
  4. 217 San Marino 4.2 per 1,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 265 places →

More health data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is birth rate, crude in South Korea?
Birth rate, crude in South Korea was 4.7 per 1,000 people in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
What is the highest birth rate, crude recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 42.07 per 1,000 people in 1960.
What is the lowest birth rate, crude recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 4.5 per 1,000 people in 2023.
How does South Korea rank for birth rate, crude?
South Korea ranks 216th out of 217 countries with data for 2024.
Is birth rate, crude rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 45.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Korea data come from?
The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Birth rate, crude in South Korea. Statizoid, drawing on World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/birth-rate-crude-per-1-000-people/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people)
Unit
per 1,000 people
Source
World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
265 places, 17,195 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed

Crude birth rate indicates the number of live births occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.