Largest cities in South Korea, 1975 to 2050

Seoul leads South Korea with 22.49 million people in 2025, ahead of Busan at 3.26 million in the UN city ranking.

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What the data shows

In 2025, Seoul ranks #1 with 22.49M, ahead of Busan (3.26M) and Daegu (2.33M).
By 2050, on the UN's projections, Seoul is projected to rank #1 with 21.23M, ahead of Busan (2.74M) and Daegu (1.97M).
Seoul holds #1 for the whole period, 1975 to 2025.
Biggest climber: Cheongju-si, from #13 in 1975 to #7 in 2050.
Seoul grew 2.2× between 1975 and 2025.

About this chart

Seoul stands well above the other cities in South Korea: its 22.49 million people in 2025 are about 6.90 times the 3.26 million in second-place Busan. Seoul also led the 1975 ranking, when the UN series put it at 10.08 million. Daegu occupies third place in 2025 at 2.33 million. These are populations of urban areas defined consistently by the UN, rather than administrative city limits.

The UN projects Seoul to lead in 2050 at 21.23 million people. The figures after 2025 are projections. The Degree of Urbanization identifies contiguous dense settlements, so these totals can differ from municipal and metropolitan statistics. The historical ranking is useful for comparing positions; changing settlement boundaries mean it should not be treated as a measure of growth within fixed city limits.

The data

Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 21), city population, millions, 1975–2050 (projected after 2025). Retrieved November 5, 2026. Cities as defined by the Degree of Urbanization (contiguous dense areas), so figures differ from city-proper or metro counts. Blank cells indicate that the source supplies no city value for that year, not zero population.

Largest cities in South Korea, Population in millions, 1975–2050; projected after 2025, 1975–2050
Date	🇰🇷 Seoul	🇰🇷 Busan	🇰🇷 Daegu	🇰🇷 Changwon	🇰🇷 Gwangju	🇰🇷 Daejeon	🇰🇷 Pohang-si	🇰🇷 Iksan-si	🇰🇷 Jinju-si	🇰🇷 Suncheon-si	🇰🇷 Ulsan	🇰🇷 Jeonju	🇰🇷 Cheongju-si	🇰🇷 Cheonan-si
1975	10.08M	2.43M	1.51M	0.70M	0.55M	0.45M	0.37M	0.37M	0.35M	0.35M	0.33M	0.26M	0.18M	0.06M
1976	10.50M	2.52M	1.56M	0.70M	0.57M	0.48M	0.37M	0.35M	0.34M	0.34M	0.37M	0.28M	0.19M	0.06M
1977	10.92M	2.61M	1.60M	0.70M	0.59M	0.50M	0.37M	0.34M	0.34M	0.32M	0.41M	0.29M	0.20M	0.06M
1978	11.34M	2.70M	1.65M	0.70M	0.61M	0.53M	0.37M	0.33M	0.33M	0.31M	0.44M	0.31M	0.21M	0.07M
1979	11.75M	2.79M	1.70M	0.69M	0.63M	0.55M	0.37M	0.32M	0.32M	0.30M	0.48M	0.32M	0.22M	0.07M
1980	12.17M	2.88M	1.75M	0.69M	0.66M	0.58M	0.37M	0.30M	0.31M	0.29M	0.52M	0.34M	0.23M	0.07M
1981	12.62M	2.99M	1.81M	0.70M	0.69M	0.61M	0.38M	0.30M	0.31M	0.28M	0.53M	0.35M	0.25M	0.07M
1982	13.06M	3.10M	1.87M	0.71M	0.72M	0.64M	0.38M	0.29M	0.31M	0.27M	0.55M	0.36M	0.27M	0.07M
1983	13.51M	3.21M	1.93M	0.71M	0.75M	0.67M	0.38M	0.28M	0.30M	0.26M	0.57M	0.37M	0.29M	0.08M
1984	13.96M	3.32M	1.99M	0.72M	0.79M	0.71M	0.39M	0.27M	0.30M	0.25M	0.59M	0.38M	0.31M	0.08M
1985	14.40M	3.43M	2.04M	0.72M	0.82M	0.74M	0.39M	0.26M	0.29M	0.24M	0.60M	0.39M	0.32M	0.08M
1986	14.90M	3.50M	2.11M	0.73M	0.86M	0.79M	0.39M	0.25M	0.29M	0.23M	0.63M	0.41M	0.35M	0.08M
1987	15.41M	3.56M	2.17M	0.74M	0.90M	0.84M	0.39M	0.24M	0.28M	0.22M	0.66M	0.42M	0.37M	0.09M
1988	15.91M	3.63M	2.23M	0.74M	0.94M	0.89M	0.39M	0.23M	0.27M	0.22M	0.68M	0.44M	0.40M	0.09M
1989	16.41M	3.69M	2.30M	0.75M	0.98M	0.94M	0.39M	0.22M	0.27M	0.21M	0.71M	0.45M	0.42M	0.09M
1990	16.91M	3.76M	2.36M	0.75M	1.02M	0.99M	0.39M	0.21M	0.26M	0.20M	0.74M	0.47M	0.44M	0.09M
1991	17.10M	3.76M	2.37M	0.76M	1.05M	1.02M	0.39M	0.21M	0.26M	0.19M	0.75M	0.48M	0.46M	0.11M
1992	17.28M	3.76M	2.39M	0.76M	1.08M	1.05M	0.39M	0.21M	0.26M	0.19M	0.76M	0.49M	0.47M	0.13M
1993	17.47M	3.76M	2.40M	0.76M	1.11M	1.09M	0.39M	0.21M	0.26M	0.19M	0.77M	0.50M	0.48M	0.14M
1994	17.65M	3.76M	2.41M	0.77M	1.14M	1.12M	0.39M	0.21M	0.25M	0.19M	0.79M	0.51M	0.49M	0.16M
1995	17.84M	3.75M	2.42M	0.77M	1.17M	1.15M	0.39M	0.21M	0.25M	0.18M	0.80M	0.52M	0.50M	0.17M
1996	18.06M	3.72M	2.43M	0.76M	1.19M	1.18M	0.39M	0.21M	0.25M	0.18M	0.81M	0.53M	0.51M	0.19M
1997	18.29M	3.69M	2.44M	0.76M	1.21M	1.21M	0.39M	0.21M	0.25M	0.18M	0.82M	0.54M	0.52M	0.20M
1998	18.51M	3.65M	2.45M	0.75M	1.23M	1.24M	0.39M	0.21M	0.25M	0.18M	0.83M	0.55M	0.53M	0.21M
1999	18.74M	3.62M	2.46M	0.75M	1.25M	1.28M	0.39M	0.21M	0.25M	0.18M	0.84M	0.56M	0.54M	0.23M
2000	18.96M	3.58M	2.47M	0.74M	1.27M	1.31M	0.39M	0.21M	0.25M	0.18M	0.85M	0.57M	0.55M	0.24M
2001	19.14M	3.55M	2.47M	0.74M	1.28M	1.32M	0.39M	0.20M	0.25M	0.18M	0.86M	0.58M	0.57M	0.26M
2002	19.32M	3.52M	2.48M	0.74M	1.30M	1.34M	0.39M	0.20M	0.25M	0.18M	0.86M	0.58M	0.58M	0.27M
2003	19.50M	3.49M	2.48M	0.74M	1.31M	1.36M	0.39M	0.20M	0.24M	0.18M	0.87M	0.59M	0.59M	0.29M
2004	19.68M	3.46M	2.48M	0.73M	1.32M	1.37M	0.39M	0.19M	0.24M	0.17M	0.87M	0.59M	0.60M	0.30M
2005	19.86M	3.43M	2.49M	0.73M	1.33M	1.39M	0.39M	0.19M	0.24M	0.17M	0.88M	0.60M	0.61M	0.32M
2006	20.00M	3.40M	2.48M	0.73M	1.34M	1.40M	0.39M	0.19M	0.24M	0.17M	0.88M	0.60M	0.61M	0.33M
2007	20.14M	3.38M	2.47M	0.72M	1.36M	1.42M	0.39M	0.19M	0.24M	0.17M	0.88M	0.60M	0.62M	0.34M
2008	20.27M	3.35M	2.47M	0.71M	1.37M	1.43M	0.39M	0.18M	0.24M	0.17M	0.88M	0.61M	0.62M	0.35M
2009	20.41M	3.33M	2.46M	0.71M	1.38M	1.45M	0.39M	0.18M	0.24M	0.17M	0.88M	0.61M	0.63M	0.36M
2010	20.55M	3.30M	2.45M	0.70M	1.39M	1.47M	0.39M	0.18M	0.24M	0.17M	0.88M	0.61M	0.63M	0.37M
2011	20.73M	3.30M	2.45M	0.70M	1.39M	1.47M	0.39M	0.18M	0.24M	0.17M	0.88M	0.62M	0.64M	0.38M
2012	20.91M	3.30M	2.44M	0.70M	1.40M	1.48M	0.40M	0.18M	0.25M	0.17M	0.89M	0.62M	0.64M	0.38M
2013	21.09M	3.29M	2.44M	0.70M	1.40M	1.48M	0.40M	0.18M	0.25M	0.17M	0.89M	0.62M	0.65M	0.39M
2014	21.28M	3.29M	2.43M	0.70M	1.41M	1.49M	0.40M	0.18M	0.25M	0.18M	0.89M	0.63M	0.65M	0.40M
2015	21.46M	3.29M	2.43M	0.70M	1.41M	1.49M	0.40M	0.18M	0.26M	0.18M	0.89M	0.63M	0.66M	0.40M
2016	21.61M	3.29M	2.42M	0.69M	1.42M	1.50M	0.40M	0.18M	0.25M	0.17M	0.90M	0.63M	0.66M	0.41M
2017	21.77M	3.30M	2.41M	0.69M	1.43M	1.50M	0.40M	0.17M	0.25M	0.17M	0.90M	0.63M	0.67M	0.41M
2018	21.93M	3.31M	2.40M	0.69M	1.43M	1.51M	0.39M	0.17M	0.25M	0.16M	0.90M	0.64M	0.68M	0.42M
2019	22.08M	3.31M	2.39M	0.68M	1.44M	1.52M	0.39M	0.17M	0.24M	0.15M	0.91M	0.64M	0.69M	0.43M
2020	22.24M	3.32M	2.38M	0.68M	1.45M	1.53M	0.39M	0.17M	0.24M	0.15M	0.91M	0.64M	0.69M	0.43M
2021	22.29M	3.31M	2.37M	0.68M	1.45M	1.52M	0.39M	0.17M	0.24M	0.15M	0.90M	0.64M	0.69M	0.43M
2022	22.34M	3.30M	2.36M	0.67M	1.44M	1.52M	0.39M	0.17M	0.24M	0.15M	0.90M	0.64M	0.69M	0.43M
2023	22.39M	3.29M	2.35M	0.67M	1.44M	1.52M	0.39M	0.16M	0.24M	0.15M	0.89M	0.64M	0.69M	0.43M
2024	22.44M	3.27M	2.34M	0.67M	1.44M	1.52M	0.38M	0.16M	0.24M	0.15M	0.89M	0.64M	0.69M	0.43M
2025	22.49M	3.26M	2.33M	0.67M	1.44M	1.52M	0.38M	0.16M	0.24M	0.15M	0.88M	0.64M	0.69M	0.43M
2026	22.52M	3.25M	2.32M	0.66M	1.44M	1.51M	0.38M	0.16M	0.24M	0.15M	0.88M	0.64M	0.69M	0.43M
2027	22.55M	3.23M	2.31M	0.66M	1.44M	1.51M	0.38M	0.16M	0.23M	0.15M	0.87M	0.63M	0.68M	0.43M
2028	22.57M	3.22M	2.30M	0.66M	1.43M	1.51M	0.38M	0.16M	0.23M	0.15M	0.87M	0.63M	0.68M	0.43M
2029	22.60M	3.20M	2.29M	0.65M	1.43M	1.50M	0.37M	0.16M	0.23M	0.15M	0.87M	0.63M	0.68M	0.42M
2030	22.63M	3.19M	2.28M	0.65M	1.43M	1.50M	0.37M	0.16M	0.23M	0.15M	0.86M	0.63M	0.67M	0.42M
2031	22.61M	3.17M	2.27M	0.65M	1.42M	1.50M	0.37M	0.16M	0.23M	0.15M	0.86M	0.63M	0.67M	0.42M
2032	22.60M	3.16M	2.26M	0.64M	1.42M	1.49M	0.37M	0.16M	0.23M	0.15M	0.85M	0.63M	0.67M	0.42M
2033	22.59M	3.14M	2.24M	0.64M	1.42M	1.49M	0.37M	0.16M	0.22M	0.14M	0.85M	0.62M	0.67M	0.42M
2034	22.58M	3.12M	2.23M	0.63M	1.41M	1.48M	0.36M	0.16M	0.22M	0.14M	0.84M	0.62M	0.67M	0.42M
2035	22.56M	3.11M	2.22M	0.63M	1.41M	1.48M	0.36M	0.16M	0.22M	0.14M	0.84M	0.62M	0.66M	0.42M
2036	22.51M	3.08M	2.21M	0.62M	1.40M	1.47M	0.36M	0.16M	0.22M	0.14M	0.83M	0.62M	0.66M	0.42M
2037	22.45M	3.06M	2.19M	0.62M	1.39M	1.46M	0.36M	0.16M	0.22M	0.14M	0.83M	0.61M	0.66M	0.41M
2038	22.40M	3.04M	2.18M	0.61M	1.39M	1.45M	0.35M	0.16M	0.22M	0.14M	0.82M	0.61M	0.65M	0.41M
2039	22.34M	3.02M	2.16M	0.61M	1.38M	1.44M	0.35M	0.16M	0.21M	0.14M	0.81M	0.61M	0.65M	0.41M
2040	22.29M	2.99M	2.14M	0.60M	1.37M	1.44M	0.35M	0.16M	0.21M	0.14M	0.80M	0.61M	0.65M	0.41M
2041	22.20M	2.97M	2.13M	0.60M	1.37M	1.43M	0.34M	0.16M	0.21M	0.14M	0.80M	0.60M	0.65M	0.41M
2042	22.11M	2.95M	2.11M	0.59M	1.36M	1.42M	0.34M	0.16M	0.21M	0.14M	0.79M	0.60M	0.64M	0.40M
2043	22.02M	2.93M	2.10M	0.59M	1.35M	1.41M	0.34M	0.15M	0.21M	0.14M	0.79M	0.60M	0.64M	0.40M
2044	21.93M	2.90M	2.08M	0.58M	1.35M	1.41M	0.34M	0.15M	0.20M	0.14M	0.78M	0.59M	0.64M	0.40M
2045	21.84M	2.88M	2.07M	0.58M	1.34M	1.40M	0.33M	0.15M	0.20M	0.14M	0.77M	0.59M	0.63M	0.40M
2046	21.72M	2.85M	2.05M	0.57M	1.33M	1.39M	0.33M	0.15M	0.20M	0.14M	0.76M	0.59M	0.63M	0.39M
2047	21.60M	2.82M	2.03M	0.57M	1.32M	1.38M	0.33M	0.15M	0.20M	0.13M	0.75M	0.58M	0.63M	0.39M
2048	21.47M	2.80M	2.01M	0.56M	1.32M	1.37M	0.32M	0.15M	0.20M	0.13M	0.74M	0.58M	0.62M	0.39M
2049	21.35M	2.77M	1.99M	0.55M	1.31M	1.36M	0.32M	0.15M	0.19M	0.13M	0.73M	0.57M	0.62M	0.39M
2050	21.23M	2.74M	1.97M	0.55M	1.30M	1.35M	0.31M	0.14M	0.19M	0.13M	0.72M	0.57M	0.61M	0.38M

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Frequently asked questions

What is the largest city in South Korea?

Seoul is the largest city in South Korea in the UN 2025 series, with about 22.49 million people. Busan follows at 3.26 million. These figures use the UN Degree of Urbanization definition, not municipal boundaries.

Which city is projected to be largest in South Korea in 2050?

The UN projects Seoul to rank first in 2050, with about 21.23 million people. This is a projection, not an observed population count.

Was Seoul also the largest city in 1975?

The 1975 ranking was led by Seoul, with 10.08 million people. The table preserves every city that reached the top ten in any year shown, including cities outside the top ten today.

Where does this data come from?

UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 21), city population, millions, 1975–2050 (projected after 2025). Retrieved November 5, 2026. Cities as defined by the Degree of Urbanization (contiguous dense areas), so figures differ from city-proper or metro counts. Blank cells indicate that the source supplies no city value for that year, not zero population. You can download the full table as a CSV from this page.

Can I turn this chart into a video?

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