Rural population growth (annual %) in South Korea
South Korea: Rural population growth (annual %) was -0.2% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Rural population growth in South Korea, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population growth in South Korea is -0.2%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 391.2% on the previous year and down 115.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population growth in South Korea peaked at 1.9% in 1961 and was at its lowest, -5.7%, in 1988.
South Korea ranks 124th of 210 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Rural population growth (annual %) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.9% | — |
| 1962 | 1.8% | -7.9% |
| 1963 | 1.6% | -8.2% |
| 1964 | 1.3% | -18.0% |
| 1965 | 1.1% | -18.9% |
| 1966 | 0.8% | -23.1% |
| 1967 | 0.1% | -83.6% |
| 1968 | -0.7% | -648.7% |
| 1969 | -1.2% | +65.0% |
| 1970 | -1.1% | -7.8% |
| 1971 | -0.8% | -26.4% |
| 1972 | -0.7% | -21.1% |
| 1973 | -0.7% | +3.2% |
| 1974 | -0.8% | +18.4% |
| 1975 | -1.1% | +34.9% |
| 1976 | -1.5% | +42.3% |
| 1977 | -1.9% | +25.4% |
| 1978 | -2.2% | +15.6% |
| 1979 | -2.4% | +7.7% |
| 1980 | -2.4% | +0.5% |
| 1981 | -2.4% | -1.0% |
| 1982 | -2.4% | +0.9% |
| 1983 | -2.6% | +7.2% |
| 1984 | -3.0% | +17.1% |
| 1985 | -3.6% | +18.3% |
| 1986 | -4.2% | +17.1% |
| 1987 | -5.1% | +22.4% |
| 1988 | -5.7% | +10.5% |
| 1989 | -5.6% | -1.2% |
| 1990 | -4.7% | -16.4% |
| 1991 | -3.6% | -22.5% |
| 1992 | -3.2% | -11.4% |
| 1993 | -2.9% | -10.2% |
| 1994 | -2.3% | -19.6% |
| 1995 | -1.5% | -36.7% |
| 1996 | -0.7% | -53.6% |
| 1997 | -0.2% | -70.3% |
| 1998 | -0.2% | -9.3% |
| 1999 | -0.2% | -11.4% |
| 2000 | -0.2% | +37.4% |
| 2001 | -0.7% | +215.7% |
| 2002 | -1.4% | +100.8% |
| 2003 | -1.7% | +19.2% |
| 2004 | -1.7% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | -1.3% | -22.0% |
| 2006 | -0.4% | -67.5% |
| 2007 | -0.3% | -32.5% |
| 2008 | 0.1% | -129.4% |
| 2009 | 0.0% | -75.0% |
| 2010 | 0.3% | +1101.3% |
| 2011 | 0.8% | +217.3% |
| 2012 | 0.8% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 0.9% | +10.9% |
| 2014 | 1.2% | +27.0% |
| 2015 | 1.0% | -10.6% |
| 2016 | 0.9% | -17.4% |
| 2017 | 0.7% | -13.0% |
| 2018 | 0.9% | +23.1% |
| 2019 | 0.8% | -7.6% |
| 2020 | 0.7% | -11.4% |
| 2021 | -0.1% | -107.1% |
| 2022 | -0.2% | +263.7% |
| 2023 | 0.1% | -134.7% |
| 2024 | 0.1% | -17.8% |
| 2025 | -0.2% | -391.2% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's -0.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is -0.3%, 56% of the median. (77 countries reporting)
- South Korea's -0.2% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.0%. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Rural population growth (annual %) 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | +1101.3% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 1968 | -648.7% | 0.1% | -0.7% |
| 2025 | -391.2% | 0.1% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | -263.7% | -0.1% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | +217.3% | 0.3% | 0.8% |
| 2001 | -215.7% | -0.2% | -0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.7% | -1.2% | 1.9% | 9 |
| 1970s | -1.3% | -2.4% | -0.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | -3.7% | -5.7% | -2.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | -1.9% | -4.7% | -0.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | -0.8% | -1.7% | 0.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8% | 0.3% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1% | -0.2% | 0.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More agriculture & rural data for South Korea
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 0.2516 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0146 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 530.46 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1591 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1883 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.8% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population growth in South Korea?
- Rural population growth in South Korea was -0.2% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population growth recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 1.9% in 1961.
- What is the lowest rural population growth recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was -5.7% in 1988.
- How does South Korea rank for rural population growth?
- South Korea ranks 124th out of 210 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population growth rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 115.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual rural population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear rural population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.