Signal Korea's population peaked in 2020 and is projected to fall to about 48.8 million by 2045

Summary

National statistics cited in the report show Korea's total population rising from about 42.87 million in 1990 to 48.18 million in 2005, the year the first relocation was debated. Growth continued until a peak of about 51.84 million in 2020, after which the count slipped to 51.77 million in 2021 and 51.71 million in 2023. The medium projection of the national statistics agency expects the total to shrink to roughly 48.84 million by 2045 as decades of low births accumulate. Fertility stood at a world-low 0.72 in 2023 and recovered only slightly to 0.80 in 2025. The report uses these figures to show that the relocation policy must now operate in an era of shrinking rather than expanding population.