South Korea at its true size
South Korea covers 100,295 km², number 107 of 194 countries by area. Home to 51,684,564 people (2025). A Mercator map draws it about 1.54× too large.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 100,295 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 51,684,564 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 515 per km² |
| Capital | Seoul |
| Local time in Seoul | |
| Time zone | UTC+9 IANA |
| Currency | South Korean won (KRW) Wikidata |
| Languages | Korean, Korean Sign Language |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Eastern Asia, Asia |
| Status | Independent state |
| Member of | OECDG20 |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +82 |
| Codes | KR · KOR · 410 |
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Where South Korea ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#29 of 19452 million people#13 of 48 in Asia
- Population density#16 of 194515 people per km²#7 of 48 in Asia
- Urban population#39 of 19281% urban#12 of 47 in Asia
- Fertility rate#192 of 1920.75 births per woman#47 of 47 in Asia
- Population growth#165 of 192−0.13% a year#42 of 47 in Asia
- Birth rate#191 of 1924.7 births per 1,000 people#47 of 47 in Asia
- Death rate#102 of 1927.0 deaths per 1,000 people#11 of 47 in Asia
- Children under 15#192 of 19210.2% under 15#47 of 47 in Asia
- People over 65#30 of 19220.3% aged 65 and over#2 of 47 in Asia
- Net migration#44 of 192+1.3 per 1,000 people#12 of 47 in Asia
- Refugees abroad#174 of 1900.00 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#45 of 47 in Asia
Health & education
- Life expectancy#11 of 19283.6 years#3 of 47 in Asia
- Infant mortality#175 of 1912.3 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#45 of 47 in Asia
- Doctors#71 of 1782.61 doctors per 1,000 people#17 of 46 in Asia
- University enrolment#3 of 145111.9% gross enrolment#2 of 42 in Asia
- Human Development Index#19 of 190an index of 0.937#3 of 46 in Asia
Economy
- GNI per capita#29 of 185$37,880 a person#7 of 45 in Asia
- Internet users#13 of 18498% online#7 of 43 in Asia
- GDP per capita (PPP)#29 of 184$63,125 a person#8 of 45 in Asia
- GDP growth#156 of 187+1.0% a year#39 of 45 in Asia
- Inflation#116 of 176+2.1% a year#24 of 42 in Asia
- Unemployment#149 of 1782.7% of the labour force#36 of 47 in Asia
- Extreme poverty#126 of 1490.1% under $3.00 a day#24 of 33 in Asia
- Income inequality (Gini)#95 of 149a Gini index of 32.9#17 of 33 in Asia
- Jobs in agriculture#130 of 1785.1% of jobs#35 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in industry#51 of 17823.4% of jobs#21 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in services#46 of 17871.5% of jobs#11 of 47 in Asia
- Foreign investment#137 of 1840.8% of GDP#30 of 44 in Asia
- Exports#54 of 16845.8% of GDP#17 of 42 in Asia
- Military spending#38 of 1552.6% of GDP#15 of 38 in Asia
- Mobile subscriptions#13 of 191173 subscriptions per 100 people#5 of 47 in Asia
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#15 of 18511.4 tonnes a person#9 of 47 in Asia
- Forest area#19 of 19264% forest#5 of 47 in Asia
- Renewable energy#161 of 1903.6% renewable#30 of 47 in Asia
- Access to electricity#1 of 192100.0% with electricity#1 of 47 in Asia
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#71 of 19121.9 µg/m³#33 of 47 in Asia
- Protected land#95 of 19117.7% of the land protected#20 of 47 in Asia
- Arable land#78 of 19013.3% of the land arable#15 of 47 in Asia
- Water stress#21 of 17685.2% of its available fresh water#15 of 47 in Asia
- Precipitation#71 of 1801,274 mm a year#18 of 47 in Asia
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of South Korea’s area, lit up on the map →
- Iceland0.97×South Korea and Iceland are almost exactly the same size.
- Hungary1.08×South Korea is 8% larger than Hungary.
- Guatemala0.92×South Korea is 8% smaller than Guatemala.
- Portugal1.09×South Korea is 9% larger than Portugal.
- Cuba0.91×South Korea is 9% smaller than Cuba.
- Bulgaria0.9×South Korea is 10% smaller than Bulgaria.
How many times does South Korea fit into…
- Russia: about 170 times
- Canada: about 100 times
- United States: about 98 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes South Korea shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Han514 km
Summits
- Hallasan1,947 m
- Jirisan1,915 m
- Seoraksan1,708 m
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside South Korea. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about South Korea
- How big is South Korea?
- South Korea covers 100,295 km², which makes it number 107 of 194 countries by area. About 51,684,564 people live there (2025), 515 per km².
- Is South Korea bigger than Iceland?
- South Korea and Iceland are almost exactly the same size. South Korea: 100,295 km²; Iceland: 103,004 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort South Korea?
- At about 36° latitude, Mercator stretches South Korea to roughly 1.54× its true area relative to a country on the equator. Kartavera draws it in the Equal Earth projection, where areas are exact.
- Which countries border South Korea?
- South Korea shares a land border with North Korea.