Military personnel, gaps filled in South Korea

South Korea: Military personnel, gaps filled was 555,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
555,000 people
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
9th
of 194 countries
All-time high
750,000 people
in 1991
All-time low
69,000 people
in 1949
Years of data
74
1949–2022

Military personnel, gaps filled in South Korea, 1949–2022

0200.0k400.0k600.0k800.0k194919852022

Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in people.

Analysis

The most recent figure for military personnel, gaps filled in South Korea is 555,000 people, measured in 2022.

The figure is down 15.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military personnel, gaps filled in South Korea peaked at 750,000 people in 1991 and was at its lowest, 69,000 people, in 1949.

South Korea ranks 9th of 194 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

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

Military personnel, gaps filled in South Korea, year by year

Annual values for Military personnel, gaps filled in South Korea, 1949 to 2022.
Year people Change
1949 69,000 people
1950 109,000 people +58.0%
1951 196,000 people +79.8%
1952 335,000 people +70.9%
1953 504,000 people +50.4%
1954 630,000 people +25.0%
1955 730,000 people +15.9%
1956 650,000 people -11.0%
1957 650,000 people +0.0%
1958 650,000 people +0.0%
1959 650,000 people +0.0%
1960 650,000 people +0.0%
1961 570,000 people -12.3%
1962 570,000 people +0.0%
1963 627,000 people +10.0%
1964 600,000 people -4.3%
1965 604,000 people +0.7%
1966 572,000 people -5.3%
1967 612,000 people +7.0%
1968 620,000 people +1.3%
1969 620,000 people +0.0%
1970 645,000 people +4.0%
1971 638,000 people -1.1%
1972 635,000 people -0.5%
1973 634,000 people -0.2%
1974 634,000 people +0.0%
1975 630,000 people -0.6%
1976 610,000 people -3.2%
1977 600,000 people -1.6%
1978 600,000 people +0.0%
1979 638,000 people +6.3%
1980 600,000 people -6.0%
1981 606,000 people +1.0%
1982 601,000 people -0.8%
1983 602,000 people +0.2%
1984 602,000 people +0.0%
1985 600,000 people -0.3%
1986 604,000 people +0.7%
1987 604,000 people +0.0%
1988 626,000 people +3.6%
1989 647,000 people +3.4%
1990 650,000 people +0.5%
1991 750,000 people +15.4%
1992 750,000 people +0.0%
1993 750,000 people +0.0%
1994 750,000 people +0.0%
1995 750,000 people +0.0%
1996 670,000 people -10.7%
1997 670,000 people +0.0%
1998 670,000 people +0.0%
1999 665,000 people -0.7%
2000 683,000 people +2.7%
2001 683,000 people +0.0%
2002 686,000 people +0.4%
2003 686,000 people +0.0%
2004 687,000 people +0.1%
2005 688,000 people +0.1%
2006 688,000 people +0.0%
2007 687,000 people -0.1%
2008 687,000 people +0.0%
2009 687,000 people +0.0%
2010 687,000 people +0.0%
2011 655,000 people -4.7%
2012 655,000 people +0.0%
2013 655,000 people +0.0%
2014 655,000 people +0.0%
2015 655,000 people +0.0%
2016 628,000 people -4.1%
2017 630,000 people +0.3%
2018 625,000 people -0.8%
2019 625,000 people +0.0%
2020 599,000 people -4.2%
2021 555,000 people -7.3%
2022 555,000 people +0.0%

South Korea compared with similar countries

  • South Korea's 555,000 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 18,500 people, 30.0× the median. (64 countries reporting)
  • South Korea's 555,000 people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9,500 people, 58.4× the median. (30 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Military personnel, gaps filled 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.

YearChange FromTo
1951 +79.8% 109,000 people 196,000 people
1952 +70.9% 196,000 people 335,000 people
1950 +58.0% 69,000 people 109,000 people
1953 +50.4% 335,000 people 504,000 people
1954 +25.0% 504,000 people 630,000 people

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1940s 69,000 people 69,000 people 69,000 people 1
1950s 510,400 people 109,000 people 730,000 people 10
1960s 604,500 people 570,000 people 650,000 people 10
1970s 626,400 people 600,000 people 645,000 people 10
1980s 609,200 people 600,000 people 647,000 people 10
1990s 707,500 people 650,000 people 750,000 people 10
2000s 686,200 people 683,000 people 688,000 people 10
2010s 647,000 people 625,000 people 687,000 people 10
2020s 569,667 people 555,000 people 599,000 people 3

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 6 Ukraine 688,000 people compare
  2. 7 Pakistan 652,000 people compare
  3. 8 Iran 610,000 people compare
  4. 10 Ethiopia 503,000 people compare
  5. 11 Vietnam 482,000 people compare
  6. 12 Egypt 439,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More reference data data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is military personnel, gaps filled in South Korea?
Military personnel, gaps filled in South Korea was 555,000 people in 2022, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest military personnel, gaps filled recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 750,000 people in 1991.
What is the lowest military personnel, gaps filled recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 69,000 people in 1949.
How does South Korea rank for military personnel, gaps filled?
South Korea ranks 9th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Is military personnel, gaps filled rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 15.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Korea data come from?
The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Military personnel, gaps filled. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.

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Military personnel, gaps filled in South Korea. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/military-personnel-gaps-filled/korea-rep/

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<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/military-personnel-gaps-filled/korea-rep/">Military personnel, gaps filled in South Korea</a> — Statizoid

How this figure is calculated

Military personnel with 103 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.

Computed from

Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.

About this data

Indicator
Military personnel, gaps filled
Unit
people
Source
Statizoid (derived)
Licence
Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage
194 places, 15,868 data points, 1816–2022
Last refreshed

Military personnel with 103 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.