Basic Facts about the South Korean People
Population: 48,508,972 (July 2009 estimate)
country comparison to the world: 26
Age structure:
0-14 years: 16.8% (male 4,278,581/female 3,887,516)
15-64 years: 72.3% (male 17,897,053/female 17,196,840)
65 years and over: 10.8% (male 2,104,589/female 3,144,393)
Median age: total: 37.3 years
male: 36 years, female: 38.5 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.266% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 178
Birth rate: 8.93 births/1,000 population (2009 estimate)
country comparison to the world: 213
Death rate: 5.73 deaths/1,000 population (2008 estimate)
country comparison to the world: 166
Net migration rate: -0.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 103
Urbanization: urban population: 81% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0.6% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate: total: 4.26 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 204
male: 4.49 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 estimate)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.72 years
country comparison to the world: 40
male: 75.45 years, female: 82.22 years (2009 estimate)
Total fertility rate: 1.21 children born/woman (2009 estimate)
country comparison to the world: 219
HIV/AIDS – adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2007 estimate)
country comparison to the world: 151
HIV/AIDS – people living with HIV/AIDS: 13,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 93
HIV/AIDS – deaths: fewer than 500 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 94
Nationality: noun: Korean(s), adjective: Korean
Ethnic groups: homogeneous (except for about 20,000 Chinese)
Religions: Christian 26.3% (Protestant 19.7%, Roman Catholic 6.6%), Buddhist 23.2%, other or unknown 1.3%, none 49.3% (1995 census)
Languages: Korean, English widely taught in junior high and high school
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.9%. male: 99.2%, female: 96.6% (2002)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 17 years, male: 18 years, female: 15 years (2007)
Education expenditures: 4.6% of GDP (2004)
country comparison to the world: 85