Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in South Korea
South Korea: Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 59.6% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in South Korea, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in South Korea is 59.6%, measured in 2020.
That represents a change of down 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in South Korea peaked at 59.8% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 18.5%, in 1950.
That places South Korea 8th out of 180 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 19.6% | 18.5% | 20.7% | 2 |
| 1960s | 26.1% | 22.8% | 29.4% | 2 |
| 1970s | 37.0% | 35.0% | 39.1% | 2 |
| 1980s | 46.2% | 44.1% | 48.3% | 2 |
| 1990s | 56.3% | 54.6% | 58.0% | 2 |
| 2000s | 59.3% | 59.0% | 59.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 59.4% | 59.0% | 59.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 59.6% | 59.6% | 59.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More reference data data for South Korea
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.7164 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month -0.8996 °C (2026)
- Spring temperature anomalies 1.1 °C (2026)
- Consumer price index 135 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.9115 °C (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 2.24 °C (2025)
- Democracy 7 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in South Korea?
- Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in South Korea was 59.6% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 59.8% in 2010.
- What is the lowest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.5% in 1950.
- How does South Korea rank for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
- South Korea ranks 8th out of 180 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.