South Korea: Statistical Overview

Capital: Seoul

Population

Total Population: 51,684,564

Natural Increase: -0.1%

Density: 530 Inhabitants/km²

Urban Population: 81.2%

Population of main cities: Seoul (10,011,000); Busan (3,459,900); Incheon (3,029,300); Daegu (2,468,300); Daejeon (1,494,000); Gwangju (1,480,300); Suwon (1,235,100); Ulsan (1,168,500); Goyang (1,078,900); Yongin (1,078,600); Changwon (1,059,900)

Ethnic Origins: The population of South Korea is the most ethnically homogeneous in the world, with 96.6% of the population of Korean origin and 3.4% of foreign nationals. Among the largest groups of foreign nationals, Chinese nationals account for 43.5%, followed by 11.1% Vietnamese, 10.2% Thai and 4.4% from the United States. (Statistics Korea)

Official Language: Korean

Other Languages Spoken: None

Business Language(s): English; however, businesspeople often read English better than they can speak it.

Local Time:

It is %T:%M %A In Seoul

Country Overview

Area: 100,450 km²

Type of State: South Korea is a presidential republic. It is composed of 9 provinces, 7 metropolitan cities (Seoul, Busan, Incheon, Daegu, Gwangju, Daejeon, and Ulsan), and the Sejong Special Autonomous City.

Type of Economy: High income, diversified but variable economy.
The South Korean economy is showing signs of slowing, with growth relying heavily on semiconductor and automobile exports, while domestic demand remains weak.

HDI*: 0.937/1

HDI (World Rank): 19/192

Note: (*) The HDI, Human Development Index, measures a country's development in terms of quality of life. It mainly takes into account life expectancy, level of education and GDP per capita.

Telecommunication

Telephone Code:
To call from South Korea, dial 001, 002, 008, 00365, 00700
To call South Korea, dial +82

Internet Suffix: .kr

Households with a computer: 78.1 per 100 Inhabitants

Mobile phone subscriptions: 162.1 per 100 Inhabitants

Internet Users: 97.9 per 100 Inhabitants

Access to Electricity: 100% of the Population

Foreign Trade in Figures

Foreign Trade Indicators	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
Imports of Goods (million USD)	615,093	731,370	642,572	631,767	631,895
Exports of Goods (million USD)	644,400	683,585	632,226	683,609	709,330
Imports of Services (million USD)	129,169	143,432	157,784	171,462	184,663
Exports of Services (million USD)	120,174	132,682	127,042	142,034	150,144

Source: WTO – World Trade Organisation, Latest data available.

See the latest updates in the Country Profile for South Korea.

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