South Korean Health System Overview
Health System Rankings
Health System Outcomes
Coverage and Costs for Consumers
South Korea’s COVID-19 Policy
Population, Midyear 2022: 51,815,810
Population Density (Number of Persons per Square Kilometer): 523.69
Life Expectancy at Birth, 2022: 84.02
Projected Population, Midyear 2030: 51,290,214
Percentage of Total Population Aged 65 and Older, Midyear 2022: 17.49%
Projected Percentage of Total Population Aged 65 and Older, Midyear 2030: 24.98%
Projected Percentage of Total Population Aged 65 and Older, Midyear 2050: 39.39%
Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2023). Data Portal, custom data acquired via website. United Nations: New York. Accessed 12 May 2023.
Annual Population Growth Rate 2000-2020: 0.4%
Projected Annual Population Growth Rate 2020-2030: -0.0%
Proportion of Urban Population, 2020: 81%
Annual Growth Rate of Urban Population 2000-2020: 0.5%
Projected Annual Growth Rate of Urban Population 2020-2030: 0.0%
Source: United Nations Children’s Fund, The State of the World’s Children 2021: On My Mind – Promoting, protecting and caring for children’s mental health, UNICEF, New York, October 2021.
“The total population of the Republic of Korea was 49.8 million in 2011 and reached 50 million in June 2012. The female share of the total population was 50.3% in 2011, compared to 49.9% in 1980 (Table 1.1).
“The total fertility rate (TFR) is generally very low compared to other countries. TFR was lowest at 1.08 in 2005, rebounding slightly recently to 1.24 in 2011. Due to the low TFR, the proportion of children (population aged 0–14) has declined, from 33.9% in 1980 to 15.7% in 2011.
“The number of the elderly in the Republic of Korea started to grow in 2000 when the proportion of the population aged over 65 years reached 7.2%; this is expected to reach 14% in 2017, making it officially an aged society. The transition from an ageing society to an aged society has been faster than in any other country. The share of the elderly was 11.4% in 2011, which was below the average of OECD countries. However, the pace of ageing is very fast, and is expected to make the Republic of Korea the second-most aged country after Japan by 2050.”
Source: World Health Organization. Regional Office for the Western Pacific. (2015). Republic of Korea health system review. Manila: WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific.
“The age dependency ratio was 37.3 in 2011, in other words 100 people of working age had to support 37.3 dependents (children or the elderly). The age dependency ratio has continued to fall until 2011. However, as the baby-boomers join the aged group and as a smaller number of children reach working age, the age dependency ratio is expected to increase steeply. On the other hand, the share of the working age population is expected to decrease once it reaches a peak of 37 million in 2016.
“Along with rapid economic growth, urbanization has also advanced significantly. The share of urban population reached 83% in 2011, compared to 57% in 1980. The proportion of single-person households has been growing and in 2011, it reached around a quarter of all households. This can be attributed in part to the ageing population. In 2011 for example, 25.8% of single-person households were an elderly person living alone (KOSIS 2013). Another factor is the increase in single working women.”
Source: World Health Organization. Regional Office for the Western Pacific. (2015). Republic of Korea health system review. Manila: WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific.
World Health Systems Facts is a project of the Real Reporting Foundation. We provide reliable statistics and other data from authoritative sources regarding health systems in the US and sixteen other nations.
Page last updated May 17, 2023 by Doug McVay, Editor.
