South Korea vs Spain
South Korea has 5% more people than Spain: 51,684,564 vs 49,355,143, a gap of 2.3 million. Spain is growing faster (+1.03% vs −0.13% a year), adding about 508,918 people a year against −66,458. Using continuous exponential growth from the stated base year, if these rates held, Spain would overtake South Korea in about 4 years (from the 2025 population bases, around 2029) — a projection, not a forecast. Spain is the older society: 21.6% aged 65+ against 20.3% in South Korea. South Korea is 5.5× as densely populated (529.8 vs 96.8 people per km²).
Country/territory population bases: World Bank 2025 (South Korea) and 2025 (Spain); growth years 2025 / 2025. Annual source values, not live counts; years may differ. Growth is national, not local.
South Korea vs Spain — side by side
 South Korea |  Spain | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 51,684,5642025 | 49,355,1432025 |
| Growth rate / yr | −0.13%2025 | +1.03%2025 |
| Births per 1,000 | 4.72024 | 6.52024 |
| Deaths per 1,000 | 7.02024 | 8.92024 |
| Children per woman | 0.752024 | 1.102024 |
| Life expectancy | 83.6 yrs2024 | 83.9 yrs2024 |
| Aged 0–14 | 10.2%2025 | 12.6%2025 |
| Aged 65+ | 20.3%2025 | 21.6%2025 |
| Density | 529.8 /km²2023 | 96.8 /km²2023 |
| Area | 100,450 km²2023 | 505,976 km²2023 |
| Urban population | 81.2%2025 | 80.5%2025 |
| Net migration / yr | +65,7312025 | +96,6302025 |
| GDP per capita | $36,2272025 | $38,6272025 |
| Country population rank (available records) | #29 | #32 |
| Base / world population (World Bank 2025) | 0.63% | 0.60% |
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 Korea: 2.1× from 1960 to 2025; Spain: 1.6× 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: East Asia & Pacific · Europe & Central Asia · rankings
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.
Spain: Spain vs Italy, Spain vs South Korea, Spain vs Sudan, Spain vs Uganda, Spain vs Algeria, Spain vs Iraq, Spain vs Argentina.
Compare anything
Pick any two. The result renders instantly from the same live data as the map, and the URL updates so you can share it.
What changed during your lifetime?
Turn these figures into a private, five-scene personal world story.
Compare like with like
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.