Population, male in South Korea
South Korea: Population, male was 25.78 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
25.78 million
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
29th
of 218 countries
All-time high
25.89 million
in 2020
All-time low
12.59 million
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population, male in South Korea, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
Analysis
In 2025, population, male in South Korea stood at 25.78 million.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and up 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population, male in South Korea peaked at 25.89 million in 2020 and was at its lowest, 12.59 million, in 1960.
South Korea ranks 29th of 218 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Population, male in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 12.59 million | — |
| 1961 | 12.97 million | +3.0% |
| 1962 | 13.36 million | +3.0% |
| 1963 | 13.75 million | +2.9% |
| 1964 | 14.12 million | +2.7% |
| 1965 | 14.50 million | +2.7% |
| 1966 | 14.87 million | +2.6% |
| 1967 | 15.22 million | +2.3% |
| 1968 | 15.56 million | +2.3% |
| 1969 | 15.91 million | +2.2% |
| 1970 | 16.26 million | +2.2% |
| 1971 | 16.58 million | +2.0% |
| 1972 | 16.91 million | +2.0% |
| 1973 | 17.23 million | +1.9% |
| 1974 | 17.55 million | +1.9% |
| 1975 | 17.87 million | +1.8% |
| 1976 | 18.16 million | +1.6% |
| 1977 | 18.44 million | +1.5% |
| 1978 | 18.71 million | +1.5% |
| 1979 | 18.99 million | +1.5% |
| 1980 | 19.29 million | +1.5% |
| 1981 | 19.58 million | +1.5% |
| 1982 | 19.88 million | +1.5% |
| 1983 | 20.17 million | +1.5% |
| 1984 | 20.42 million | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 20.62 million | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 20.84 million | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 21.07 million | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 21.30 million | +1.1% |
| 1989 | 21.54 million | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 21.78 million | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 22.02 million | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 22.26 million | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 22.50 million | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 22.75 million | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 23.00 million | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 23.23 million | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 23.45 million | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 23.63 million | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 23.80 million | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 24.01 million | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 24.19 million | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 24.31 million | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 24.41 million | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 24.49 million | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 24.52 million | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 24.64 million | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 24.75 million | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 24.92 million | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 25.04 million | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 25.15 million | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 25.31 million | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 25.37 million | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 25.42 million | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 25.52 million | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 25.59 million | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 25.66 million | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 25.71 million | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 25.81 million | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 25.88 million | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 25.89 million | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 25.84 million | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 25.79 million | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 25.81 million | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 25.83 million | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 25.78 million | -0.2% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 25.78 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.50 million, 17.2× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 25.78 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 715,244, 36.0× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 14.29 million | 12.59 million | 15.91 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 17.67 million | 16.26 million | 18.99 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 20.47 million | 19.29 million | 21.54 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 22.84 million | 21.78 million | 23.80 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.53 million | 24.01 million | 25.04 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.54 million | 25.15 million | 25.88 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.82 million | 25.78 million | 25.89 million | 6 |
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)
- 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 population, male in South Korea?
- Population, male in South Korea was 25.78 million in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest population, male recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 25.89 million in 2020.
- What is the lowest population, male recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.59 million in 1960.
- How does South Korea rank for population, male?
- South Korea ranks 29th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population, male rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Population, male. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Male population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all male residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.