Signal Korea's working-age population, past its 2019 peak, is projected to shrink by about 13 million by 2050

Summary

Statistics Korea's medium-variant projection shows the working-age population aged 15 to 64 peaked in 2019 at 37.63 million. It is expected to fall by about 3.2 million in 2021 to 2030, 5.1 million in 2031 to 2040 and 4.6 million in 2041 to 2050. The working-age share, long in the low 70 percent range, dipped below 70 percent at 69.5 percent in 2025 and is projected to reach 51.9 percent by 2050. Meanwhile the share aged 65 and over passed 20 percent at 20.3 percent in 2025 and is projected to climb to 40.1 percent by 2050. The authors use these figures as the demographic premise for projecting labour input and potential growth.