Country profile

South Korea

Republic of Korea · Eastern Asia

👥 Population

51,684,564

World Bank · 2025

🏛 Capital

Seoul

🗺 Area

100,210 km²

💹 GDP (nominal)

$1.87T

World Bank · 2025

📈 HDI

0.937

UNDP · 2023

📍 Pop. density

516 /km²

💱 Currency

KRW

South Korean won

🗣 Languages

Korean

About South Korea

South Korea (officially Republic of Korea) is a country in Eastern Asia, with Seoul as its capital. It is home to roughly 51.68 million people, giving a population density of about 516 people per square kilometre. The country covers 100,210 km² of land and shares land borders with 1 neighbouring country. Its economy is valued at approximately $1.87T in nominal GDP (2025), and it records a Human Development Index of 0.937. The official currency is the South Korean won (KRW), and the main language is Korean.

How South Korea is governed

🏛 Presidential republic

Head of State

President

Head of state and government; holds executive power (single 5-year term).

Head of Government

President

Leads the executive; a Prime Minister assists but is subordinate.

Legislature

National Assembly

Unicameral — National Assembly — 300 elected seats

Who holds the power?

South Korea is a presidential republic. The directly elected President is both head of state and government and serves a single five-year term with no re-election — a rule designed to prevent the concentration of power seen under earlier authoritarian rule. A Prime Minister, appointed by the President, assists but does not lead the government. The unicameral National Assembly makes the laws, and a powerful Constitutional Court can remove a president through impeachment.

Development profile (each axis 0–100%, higher is stronger)

Key indicators

Latest available data · World Bank & UNDP.

💹 Economy

GDP (PPP)

$3.16T

GDP/capita (PPP)

$61,051

GDP growth

1.0%

Inflation

2.1%

Unemployment

2.7%

👥 People

Life expectancy

83.6 yrs

Fertility rate

0.75

Pop. growth

-0.1%

Urban population

81.2%

Infant mortality /1k

2.3

🌍 Quality of Life

Internet users

97.9%

Literacy rate

98.0%

Physicians /1k

2.61

Renewable energy

3.6%

South Korea's GDP over time (nominal, US$)

Travel & practical

Capital

Seoul

Currency

KRW

Dialing code

+82

Internet TLD

.kr

🌐 Get a South Korea eSIM 🏨 Where to stay in South Korea

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Fun facts about South Korea

South Korea is the 29th most populous country in the world, with about 51.68 million people.
By land area it is the 107th-largest country in the world, covering 100,210 km².
It has the world's 13th-largest economy by nominal GDP ($1.87T).
South Korea shares land borders with 1 country.
It is classed by the UN as a country of very high human development, with an HDI of 0.937.
South Korea has a population density of about 516 people per square kilometre.

Compare South Korea

South Korea vs Japan

Neighbouring countries

North Korea

More countries in Asia