Number of airline passengers per year in South Korea

South Korea: Number of airline passengers per year 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 of airline passengers per year in South Korea, 1970–2023

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

Source: International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for number of airline passengers per year 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 of airline passengers per year 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.

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 of airline passengers per year in South Korea?
Number of airline passengers per year in South Korea was 76.27 million in 2023, according to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of airline passengers per year recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 92.43 million in 2019.
What is the lowest number of airline passengers per year recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 1.21 million in 1970.
How does South Korea rank for number of airline passengers per year?
South Korea ranks 16th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
Is number of airline passengers per year 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 International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of airline passengers per year. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Number of airline passengers per year
Source
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
183 places, 7,925 data points, 1970–2023
Last refreshed

This represents the total rather than unique passenger activity: this means a person who makes multiple trips is counted multiple times.