Share of births that are twins in South Korea

South Korea: Share of births that are twins was 2.4% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
2.4%
Change on year
up 6.1%
World rank
2nd
of 23 countries
All-time high
2.4%
in 2020
All-time low
0.5%
in 1991
Years of data
30
1991–2020

Share of births that are twins in South Korea, 1991–2020

0.511.522.51991200520201991: 0.491 %1992: 0.558 %1993: 0.558 %1994: 0.562 %1995: 0.639 %1996: 0.657 %1997: 0.668 %1998: 0.752 %1999: 0.779 %2000: 0.84 %2001: 0.896 %2002: 0.979 %2003: 0.998 %2004: 1 %2005: 1.1 %2006: 1.2 %2007: 1.4 %2008: 1.4 %2009: 1.4 %2010: 1.4 %2011: 1.5 %2012: 1.6 %2013: 1.6 %2014: 1.7 %2015: 1.8 %2016: 1.9 %2017: 1.9 %2018: 2.1 %2019: 2.3 %2020: 2.4 %

Source: Human Multiple Births Database (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of births that are twins in South Korea is 2.4%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 30 years on record.

The figure is up 6.1% on the previous year and up 78.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of births that are twins in South Korea peaked at 2.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 1991.

That places South Korea 2nd out of 23 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.

Share of births that are twins in South Korea, year by year

Annual values for Share of births that are twins in South Korea, 1991 to 2020.
Year % Change
1991 0.5% —
1992 0.6% +13.6%
1993 0.6% +0.0%
1994 0.6% +0.7%
1995 0.6% +13.7%
1996 0.7% +2.8%
1997 0.7% +1.7%
1998 0.8% +12.6%
1999 0.8% +3.6%
2000 0.8% +7.8%
2001 0.9% +6.7%
2002 1.0% +9.3%
2003 1.0% +1.9%
2004 1.0% +5.0%
2005 1.1% +4.1%
2006 1.2% +10.4%
2007 1.4% +13.1%
2008 1.4% +1.0%
2009 1.4% -1.5%
2010 1.4% +0.4%
2011 1.5% +7.4%
2012 1.6% +9.8%
2013 1.6% +2.3%
2014 1.7% +5.9%
2015 1.8% +5.3%
2016 1.9% +4.7%
2017 1.9% +1.2%
2018 2.1% +7.2%
2019 2.3% +10.3%
2020 2.4% +6.1%

South Korea compared with similar countries

  • South Korea's 2.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.4%, 1.7× the median. (23 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.6% 0.5% 0.8% 9
2000s 1.1% 0.8% 1.4% 10
2010s 1.8% 1.4% 2.3% 10
2020s 2.4% 2.4% 2.4% 1

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 1 Greece 2.9% compare
  2. 3 Germany 1.8% compare
  3. 4 Lithuania 1.7% compare
  4. 5 Spain 1.6% compare

See the full ranking of 23 places →

More reference data data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of births that are twins in South Korea?
Share of births that are twins in South Korea was 2.4% in 2020, according to Human Multiple Births Database (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of births that are twins recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 2.4% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of births that are twins recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 1991.
How does South Korea rank for share of births that are twins?
South Korea ranks 2nd out of 23 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of births that are twins rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 78.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Korea data come from?
The figures come from Human Multiple Births Database (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of births that are twins. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of births that are twins in South Korea. Statizoid, drawing on Human Multiple Births Database (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/rate-of-twin-deliveries/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of births that are twins
Unit
%
Source
Human Multiple Births Database (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
23 places, 2,436 data points, 1815–2022
Last refreshed

Number of twin deliveries per 100 deliveries.