Number of deaths in South Korea
South Korea: Number of deaths was 345,503 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
345,503
Change on year
down 11.5%
World rank
32nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
931,034
in 1950
All-time low
234,535
in 2001
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Number of deaths in South Korea, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, number of deaths in South Korea stood at 345,503.
That represents a change of down 11.5% on the previous year and up 29.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of deaths in South Korea peaked at 931,034 in 1950 and was at its lowest, 234,535, in 2001.
South Korea ranks 32nd of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Number of deaths in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 931,034 | — |
| 1951 | 754,520 | -19.0% |
| 1952 | 516,722 | -31.5% |
| 1953 | 458,264 | -11.3% |
| 1954 | 385,247 | -15.9% |
| 1955 | 363,083 | -5.8% |
| 1956 | 347,713 | -4.2% |
| 1957 | 339,822 | -2.3% |
| 1958 | 347,169 | +2.2% |
| 1959 | 341,556 | -1.6% |
| 1960 | 338,650 | -0.9% |
| 1961 | 335,989 | -0.8% |
| 1962 | 332,768 | -1.0% |
| 1963 | 338,796 | +1.8% |
| 1964 | 337,754 | -0.3% |
| 1965 | 334,416 | -1.0% |
| 1966 | 346,333 | +3.6% |
| 1967 | 260,966 | -24.6% |
| 1968 | 266,458 | +2.1% |
| 1969 | 264,699 | -0.7% |
| 1970 | 260,570 | -1.6% |
| 1971 | 259,116 | -0.6% |
| 1972 | 256,714 | -0.9% |
| 1973 | 254,438 | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 253,201 | -0.5% |
| 1975 | 252,398 | -0.3% |
| 1976 | 252,493 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 264,502 | +4.8% |
| 1978 | 263,168 | -0.5% |
| 1979 | 249,631 | -5.1% |
| 1980 | 278,901 | +11.7% |
| 1981 | 243,908 | -12.5% |
| 1982 | 253,205 | +3.8% |
| 1983 | 267,479 | +5.6% |
| 1984 | 249,618 | -6.7% |
| 1985 | 252,683 | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 250,395 | -0.9% |
| 1987 | 254,590 | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 248,147 | -2.5% |
| 1989 | 248,049 | -0.0% |
| 1990 | 252,314 | +1.7% |
| 1991 | 254,830 | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 248,496 | -2.5% |
| 1993 | 245,922 | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 252,687 | +2.8% |
| 1995 | 252,292 | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 248,256 | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 246,812 | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 245,300 | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 242,813 | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 239,372 | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 234,535 | -2.0% |
| 2002 | 238,255 | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 243,514 | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 244,369 | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 244,402 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 242,709 | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 245,911 | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 245,168 | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 244,866 | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 254,107 | +3.8% |
| 2011 | 256,248 | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 267,037 | +4.2% |
| 2013 | 267,513 | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 268,254 | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 278,963 | +4.0% |
| 2016 | 283,900 | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 288,801 | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 302,790 | +4.8% |
| 2019 | 307,997 | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 317,300 | +3.0% |
| 2021 | 328,056 | +3.4% |
| 2022 | 390,618 | +19.1% |
| 2023 | 345,503 | -11.5% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 345,503 is above the median for high income countries, which is 16,691, 20.7× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 345,503 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 10,067, 34.3× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Number of deaths 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | -31.5% | 754,520 | 516,722 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 478,513 | 339,822 | 931,034 | 10 |
| 1960s | 315,683 | 260,966 | 346,333 | 10 |
| 1970s | 256,623 | 249,631 | 264,502 | 10 |
| 1980s | 254,698 | 243,908 | 278,901 | 10 |
| 1990s | 248,972 | 242,813 | 254,830 | 10 |
| 2000s | 242,310 | 234,535 | 245,911 | 10 |
| 2010s | 277,561 | 254,107 | 307,997 | 10 |
| 2020s | 345,369 | 317,300 | 390,618 | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
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)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 69 (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)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0124 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of deaths in South Korea?
- Number of deaths in South Korea was 345,503 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of deaths recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 931,034 in 1950.
- What is the lowest number of deaths recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 234,535 in 2001.
- How does South Korea rank for number of deaths?
- South Korea ranks 32nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of deaths rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Number of deaths. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).