South Africa vs South Korea
South Africa has 1.3× the population of South Korea: 64,747,319 vs 51,684,564, a gap of 13.1 million. South Africa is growing faster (+1.15% vs −0.13% a year), adding about 744,395 people a year against −66,458. At these source-year rates the modelled relative population gap is widening. South Korea is the older society: 20.3% aged 65+ against 6.9% in South Africa, while South Africa has more children (25.7% under 15 vs 10.2%). South Korea is 10.2× as densely populated (529.8 vs 52.1 people per km²). People in South Korea live 17.3 years longer on average (83.6 vs 66.3). GDP per capita is 5.5× higher in South Korea ($36,227 vs $6,598).
Country/territory population bases: World Bank 2025 (South Africa) and 2025 (South Korea); growth years 2025 / 2025. Annual source values, not live counts; years may differ. Growth is national, not local.
South Africa vs South Korea — side by side
 South Africa |  South Korea | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 64,747,3192025 | 51,684,5642025 |
| Growth rate / yr | +1.15%2025 | −0.13%2025 |
| Births per 1,000 | 18.52024 | 4.72024 |
| Deaths per 1,000 | 9.22024 | 7.02024 |
| Children per woman | 2.212024 | 0.752024 |
| Life expectancy | 66.3 yrs2024 | 83.6 yrs2024 |
| Aged 0–14 | 25.7%2025 | 10.2%2025 |
| Aged 65+ | 6.9%2025 | 20.3%2025 |
| Density | 52.1 /km²2023 | 529.8 /km²2023 |
| Area | 1,219,090 km²2023 | 100,450 km²2023 |
| Urban population | 63.8%2025 | 81.2%2025 |
| Net migration / yr | +146,3702025 | +65,7312025 |
| GDP per capita | $6,5982025 | $36,2272025 |
| Country population rank (available records) | #24 | #29 |
| Base / world population (World Bank 2025) | 0.79% | 0.63% |
Highlighted cell = the higher value (not "better"). Small print under each value is its own data year. Source: World Bank; country/territory population bases may have different years. These are not live counts.
Population since 1960
World Bank population history (not the separate UN WPP timeline). South Africa: 3.9× from 1960 to 2025; South Korea: 2.1× from 1960 to 2025. Left: absolute population. Right: each series indexed to its own first available year = 100; baseline years may differ.
More comparisons
Regions: Sub-Saharan Africa · East Asia & Pacific · rankings
South Africa: South Africa vs India, South Africa vs China, South Africa vs United States, South Africa vs Indonesia, South Africa vs Pakistan, South Africa vs Nigeria, South Africa vs Brazil, South Africa vs Bangladesh.
South Korea: South Korea vs India, South Korea vs China, South Korea vs United States, South Korea vs Indonesia, South Korea vs Pakistan, South Korea vs Nigeria, South Korea vs Brazil, South Korea vs Bangladesh.
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