Number airline passengers in South Korea

South Korea: Number airline passengers was 76.27 million in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
76.27 million
Change on year
up 62.8%
World rank
16th
of 183 countries
All-time high
92.43 million
in 2019
All-time low
1.21 million
in 1970
Years of data
54
1970–2023

Number airline passengers in South Korea, 1970–2023

020.0M40.0M60.0M80.0M100.0M197019962023

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for number airline passengers in South Korea is 76.27 million, measured in 2023.

The figure is up 62.8% on the previous year and up 39.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number airline passengers in South Korea peaked at 92.43 million in 2019 and was at its lowest, 1.21 million, in 1970.

South Korea ranks 16th of 183 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Number airline passengers in South Korea, year by year

Annual values for Number airline passengers in South Korea, 1970 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1970 1.21 million —
1971 1.46 million +21.1%
1972 1.64 million +12.1%
1973 2.21 million +35.0%
1974 1.92 million -13.1%
1975 2.05 million +6.4%
1976 2.08 million +1.4%
1977 2.47 million +18.9%
1978 3.10 million +25.7%
1979 3.73 million +20.2%
1980 3.57 million -4.3%
1981 4.19 million +17.4%
1982 4.20 million +0.4%
1983 4.86 million +15.7%
1984 5.35 million +10.1%
1985 6.20 million +15.9%
1986 7.21 million +16.3%
1987 8.33 million +15.5%
1988 9.83 million +17.9%
1989 13.16 million +33.9%
1990 15.68 million +19.2%
1991 16.91 million +7.8%
1992 19.77 million +16.9%
1993 21.43 million +8.4%
1994 24.93 million +16.4%
1995 29.35 million +17.7%
1996 33.00 million +12.5%
1997 35.51 million +7.6%
1998 27.11 million -23.6%
1999 30.87 million +13.9%
2000 34.33 million +11.2%
2001 33.71 million -1.8%
2002 34.83 million +3.3%
2003 33.37 million -4.2%
2004 34.51 million +3.4%
2005 33.89 million -1.8%
2006 34.84 million +2.8%
2007 36.66 million +5.2%
2008 36.08 million -1.6%
2009 34.17 million -5.3%
2010 36.99 million +8.3%
2011 39.91 million +7.9%
2012 39.97 million +0.1%
2013 54.53 million +36.4%
2014 58.29 million +6.9%
2015 66.09 million +13.4%
2016 76.86 million +16.3%
2017 82.82 million +7.8%
2018 88.16 million +6.4%
2019 92.43 million +4.9%
2020 30.03 million -67.5%
2021 34.02 million +13.3%
2022 46.85 million +37.7%
2023 76.27 million +62.8%

South Korea compared with similar countries

  • South Korea's 76.27 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 9.14 million, 8.3× the median. (62 countries reporting)
  • South Korea's 76.27 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.05 million, 37.1× the median. (29 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Number airline passengers 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
2020 -67.5% 92.43 million 30.03 million

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 2.19 million 1.21 million 3.73 million 10
1980s 6.69 million 3.57 million 13.16 million 10
1990s 25.46 million 15.68 million 35.51 million 10
2000s 34.64 million 33.37 million 36.66 million 10
2010s 63.61 million 36.99 million 92.43 million 10
2020s 46.79 million 30.03 million 76.27 million 4

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 13 Canada 88.62 million compare
  2. 14 Germany 80.20 million compare
  3. 15 Mexico 78.76 million compare
  4. 17 Australia 68.96 million compare
  5. 18 France 64.64 million compare
  6. 19 Hungary 55.61 million compare

See the full ranking of 183 places →

More reference data data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is number airline passengers in South Korea?
Number airline passengers in South Korea was 76.27 million in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest number airline passengers recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 92.43 million in 2019.
What is the lowest number airline passengers recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 1.21 million in 1970.
How does South Korea rank for number airline passengers?
South Korea ranks 16th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
Is number airline passengers rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 39.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Korea data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Number airline passengers. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Number airline passengers in South Korea. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 14 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/number-airline-passengers/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Number airline passengers
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
183 places, 7,925 data points, 1970–2023
Last refreshed