Life Expectancy at Birth in South Korea
South Korea: Life Expectancy at Birth was 83.63 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
83.63
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
14th
of 216 countries
All-time high
83.63
in 2024
All-time low
53.8
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Life Expectancy at Birth in South Korea, 1960–2024
Source: International Monetary Fund.
Analysis
The most recent figure for life expectancy at birth in South Korea is 83.63, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth in South Korea peaked at 83.63 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 53.8, in 1960.
South Korea ranks 14th of 216 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Life Expectancy at Birth in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 53.8 | — |
| 1961 | 54.48 | +1.3% |
| 1962 | 55.05 | +1.1% |
| 1963 | 55.03 | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 55.39 | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 55.86 | +0.9% |
| 1966 | 55.52 | -0.6% |
| 1967 | 60.93 | +9.7% |
| 1968 | 60.94 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 61.48 | +0.9% |
| 1970 | 62.16 | +1.1% |
| 1971 | 62.61 | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 63.01 | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 63.41 | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 63.8 | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 64.15 | +0.5% |
| 1976 | 64.5 | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 64.9 | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 65.2 | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 65.55 | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 66.05 | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 66.55 | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 67.1 | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 67.55 | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 68.2 | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 68.8 | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 69.45 | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 70 | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 70.55 | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 71.05 | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 71.6 | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 72.05 | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 72.5 | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 73 | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 73.4 | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 73.7 | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 74.15 | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 74.6 | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 75 | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 75.41 | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 75.91 | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 76.41 | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 76.77 | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 77.21 | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 77.67 | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 78.17 | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 78.67 | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 79.12 | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 79.52 | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 79.97 | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 80.12 | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 80.57 | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 80.82 | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 81.27 | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 81.72 | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 82.02 | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 82.28 | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 82.63 | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 82.63 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 83.23 | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 83.43 | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 83.53 | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 82.68 | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 83.43 | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 83.63 | +0.2% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 83.63 is above the median for high income countries, which is 81.36, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 83.63 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 72.99, 1.1× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 56.85 | 53.8 | 61.48 | 10 |
| 1970s | 63.93 | 62.16 | 65.55 | 10 |
| 1980s | 68.53 | 66.05 | 71.05 | 10 |
| 1990s | 73.54 | 71.6 | 75.41 | 10 |
| 2000s | 77.94 | 75.91 | 79.97 | 10 |
| 2010s | 81.73 | 80.12 | 83.23 | 10 |
| 2020s | 83.34 | 82.68 | 83.63 | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More gender data for South Korea
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 4,318 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -3.79 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 46,871 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 46,871 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 0.0957 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 119,025 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 125,732 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 116,471 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 122,813 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 119,098 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth in South Korea?
- Life expectancy at birth in South Korea was 83.63 in 2024, according to International Monetary Fund.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 83.63 in 2024.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.8 in 1960.
- How does South Korea rank for life expectancy at birth?
- South Korea ranks 14th out of 216 countries with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy at birth rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Life Expectancy at Birth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
About this data
Gender-disaggregated data on health outcomes.