Life expectancy in South Korea
South Korea: Life expectancy was 84.33 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
84.33 years
Change on year
up 1.9%
World rank
5th
of 236 countries
All-time high
84.33 years
in 2023
All-time low
22.23 years
in 1950
Years of data
82
1908–2023
Life expectancy in South Korea, 1908–2023
Source: Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for life expectancy in South Korea is 84.33 years, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 82 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 3.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy in South Korea peaked at 84.33 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 22.23 years, in 1950.
South Korea ranks 5th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 82 years of available data.
Life expectancy in South Korea, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1908 | 23.51 years | — |
| 1913 | 24.98 years | +6.3% |
| 1918 | 26.98 years | +8.0% |
| 1923 | 29.53 years | +9.5% |
| 1928 | 33.6 years | +13.8% |
| 1933 | 37.39 years | +11.3% |
| 1938 | 42.57 years | +13.9% |
| 1942 | 44.89 years | +5.4% |
| 1950 | 22.23 years | -50.5% |
| 1951 | 26.64 years | +19.9% |
| 1952 | 36.57 years | +37.3% |
| 1953 | 40.51 years | +10.8% |
| 1954 | 46.08 years | +13.8% |
| 1955 | 48.35 years | +4.9% |
| 1956 | 50.2 years | +3.8% |
| 1957 | 51.55 years | +2.7% |
| 1958 | 51.84 years | +0.5% |
| 1959 | 52.94 years | +2.1% |
| 1960 | 53.76 years | +1.6% |
| 1961 | 54.44 years | +1.3% |
| 1962 | 55.03 years | +1.1% |
| 1963 | 54.99 years | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 55.34 years | +0.6% |
| 1965 | 55.78 years | +0.8% |
| 1966 | 55.42 years | -0.6% |
| 1967 | 60.87 years | +9.8% |
| 1968 | 60.87 years | -0.0% |
| 1969 | 61.43 years | +0.9% |
| 1970 | 62.18 years | +1.2% |
| 1971 | 62.67 years | +0.8% |
| 1972 | 63.22 years | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 63.77 years | +0.9% |
| 1974 | 64.24 years | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 64.67 years | +0.7% |
| 1976 | 65.01 years | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 64.62 years | -0.6% |
| 1978 | 64.96 years | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 66.11 years | +1.8% |
| 1980 | 64.85 years | -1.9% |
| 1981 | 67.14 years | +3.5% |
| 1982 | 67.06 years | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 66.73 years | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 68.11 years | +2.1% |
| 1985 | 68.41 years | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 69.03 years | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 69.31 years | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 70.16 years | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 70.68 years | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 70.99 years | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 71.4 years | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 72.18 years | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 72.75 years | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 72.89 years | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 73.38 years | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 74.02 years | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 74.53 years | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 75.03 years | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 75.62 years | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 76.24 years | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 76.92 years | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 77.23 years | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 77.5 years | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 77.96 years | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 78.45 years | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 79.03 years | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 79.43 years | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 80 years | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 80.55 years | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 80.72 years | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 81.17 years | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 81.31 years | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 81.84 years | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 82.36 years | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 82.54 years | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 82.92 years | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 83.28 years | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 83.34 years | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 83.68 years | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 83.68 years | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 83.85 years | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 82.73 years | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 84.33 years | +1.9% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 84.33 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 81 years, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 84.33 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 72.85 years, 1.2× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Life expectancy in South Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | -50.5% | 44.89 years | 22.23 years |
| 1952 | +37.3% | 26.64 years | 36.57 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 23.51 years | 23.51 years | 23.51 years | 1 |
| 1910s | 25.98 years | 24.98 years | 26.98 years | 2 |
| 1920s | 31.57 years | 29.53 years | 33.6 years | 2 |
| 1930s | 39.98 years | 37.39 years | 42.57 years | 2 |
| 1940s | 44.89 years | 44.89 years | 44.89 years | 1 |
| 1950s | 42.69 years | 22.23 years | 52.94 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 56.79 years | 53.76 years | 61.43 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 64.14 years | 62.18 years | 66.11 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 68.15 years | 64.85 years | 70.68 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 73.28 years | 70.99 years | 75.62 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 78.33 years | 76.24 years | 80.55 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 82.32 years | 80.72 years | 83.68 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 83.65 years | 82.73 years | 84.33 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 2 San Marino 85.71 years compare
- 3 Hong Kong 85.51 years compare
- 4 Japan 84.71 years compare
- 6 Saint Barthelemy 84.29 years compare
- 7 French Polynesia 84.07 years compare
- 8 Andorra 84.04 years compare
More health data for South Korea
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.43 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.1935 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 2,072 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 69 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -2.66 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0118 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.76 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy in South Korea?
- Life expectancy in South Korea was 84.33 years in 2023, according to Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 84.33 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.23 years in 1950.
- How does South Korea rank for life expectancy?
- South Korea ranks 5th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 82 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Period life expectancy is the number of years the average person born in a certain year would live if they experienced the same chances of dying at each age as people did that year.