Statizoid

Median age in South Korea

South Korea: Median age was 44.49 years in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
44.49 years
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
21st
of 236 countries
All-time high
44.49 years
in 2023
All-time low
17.45 years
in 1952
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Median age in South Korea, 1950–2023

010203040195019862023

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.

Analysis

South Korea recorded 44.49 years for median age in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.2% on the previous year and up 15.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, median age in South Korea peaked at 44.49 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 17.45 years, in 1952.

That places South Korea 21st out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.

Median age in South Korea, year by year

Year years Change
1950 17.69 years —
1951 17.48 years -1.2%
1952 17.45 years -0.1%
1953 17.57 years +0.6%
1954 17.71 years +0.8%
1955 17.87 years +0.9%
1956 18.02 years +0.8%
1957 18.15 years +0.7%
1958 18.25 years +0.6%
1959 18.31 years +0.3%
1960 18.32 years +0.1%
1961 18.27 years -0.3%
1962 18.13 years -0.8%
1963 17.9 years -1.2%
1964 17.67 years -1.3%
1965 17.52 years -0.9%
1966 17.47 years -0.3%
1967 17.51 years +0.2%
1968 17.57 years +0.4%
1969 17.63 years +0.3%
1970 17.7 years +0.4%
1971 17.83 years +0.8%
1972 18.01 years +1.0%
1973 18.22 years +1.2%
1974 18.5 years +1.5%
1975 18.85 years +1.9%
1976 19.21 years +2.0%
1977 19.59 years +2.0%
1978 20 years +2.1%
1979 20.45 years +2.2%
1980 20.92 years +2.3%
1981 21.39 years +2.2%
1982 21.83 years +2.1%
1983 22.28 years +2.1%
1984 22.75 years +2.1%
1985 23.25 years +2.2%
1986 23.76 years +2.2%
1987 24.27 years +2.1%
1988 24.77 years +2.1%
1989 25.29 years +2.1%
1990 25.81 years +2.0%
1991 26.34 years +2.1%
1992 26.86 years +2.0%
1993 27.36 years +1.9%
1994 27.85 years +1.8%
1995 28.34 years +1.7%
1996 28.8 years +1.6%
1997 29.24 years +1.5%
1998 29.7 years +1.6%
1999 30.17 years +1.6%
2000 30.65 years +1.6%
2001 31.18 years +1.7%
2002 31.74 years +1.8%
2003 32.33 years +1.9%
2004 32.93 years +1.9%
2005 33.55 years +1.9%
2006 34.18 years +1.9%
2007 34.8 years +1.8%
2008 35.41 years +1.8%
2009 36.01 years +1.7%
2010 36.59 years +1.6%
2011 37.21 years +1.7%
2012 37.88 years +1.8%
2013 38.54 years +1.8%
2014 39.21 years +1.7%
2015 39.87 years +1.7%
2016 40.48 years +1.5%
2017 41.05 years +1.4%
2018 41.62 years +1.4%
2019 42.18 years +1.4%
2020 42.76 years +1.4%
2021 43.37 years +1.4%
2022 43.94 years +1.3%
2023 44.49 years +1.2%

South Korea compared with similar countries

  • South Korea's 44.49 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 39.36 years, 1.1× the median. (85 countries reporting)
  • South Korea's 44.49 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 29.83 years, 1.5× the median. (37 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 17.85 years 17.45 years 18.31 years 10
1960s 17.8 years 17.47 years 18.32 years 10
1970s 18.84 years 17.7 years 20.45 years 10
1980s 23.05 years 20.92 years 25.29 years 10
1990s 28.05 years 25.81 years 30.17 years 10
2000s 33.28 years 30.65 years 36.01 years 10
2010s 39.46 years 36.59 years 42.18 years 10
2020s 43.64 years 42.76 years 44.49 years 4

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 18 Spain 44.9 years compare
  2. 19 Croatia 44.76 years compare
  3. 20 United States Virgin Islands 44.67 years compare
  4. 22 Bulgaria 44.31 years compare
  5. 23 Liechtenstein 44.2 years compare
  6. 24 Guernsey 43.98 years compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is median age in South Korea?
Median age in South Korea was 44.49 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest median age recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 44.49 years in 2023.
What is the lowest median age recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 17.45 years in 1952.
How does South Korea rank for median age?
South Korea ranks 21st out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is median age rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 15.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Korea data come from?
The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Median age. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Median age in South Korea. Statizoid, drawing on UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/median-age/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Median age
Unit
years
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

Age that divides the population into two halves of equal size — half are younger and half are older.