Military personnel in South Korea
South Korea: Military personnel 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 in South Korea, 1949–2022
Source: Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2022, military personnel in South Korea stood at 555,000 people.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 15.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military personnel in South Korea peaked at 750,000 people in 1991 and was at its lowest, 69,000 people, in 1949.
That places South Korea 9th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Military personnel in South Korea, year by year
| 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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More reference data data for South Korea
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9638 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.9281 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2074 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 4.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 19.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.13 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military personnel in South Korea?
- Military personnel in South Korea was 555,000 people in 2022, according to Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military personnel recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 750,000 people in 1991.
- What is the lowest military personnel recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 69,000 people in 1949.
- How does South Korea rank for military personnel?
- South Korea ranks 9th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is military personnel 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 Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military personnel. 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).
About this data
Troops under the command of the national government, intended for use against foreign adversaries, and held ready for combat as of January 1 of the given year.