Republic of Korea vs China: population pyramids in 2012
Republic of KoreaChina
Each bar is the share of the total population at that single year of age (men left, women right), so countries of different sizes can be compared.
Republic of Korea and China compared
In 2012, the Republic of Korea has a population of 49.4 million and China 1.36 billion; China is about 28 times the size of the Republic of Korea.
The share aged 65 and over is 11.5% in the Republic of Korea and 9.0% in China, 2.5 points higher in the Republic of Korea. The median age is 38.5 years in the Republic of Korea and 35.7 years in China.
The total fertility rate is 1.27 in the Republic of Korea and 1.80 in China, both below the replacement level of about 2.1. Life expectancy at birth is 81.3 years in the Republic of Korea and 76.2 years in China.
By 2050, the population of the Republic of Korea is projected to shrink by 8.3% and that of China to shrink by 7.3% compared with 2012.
GDP per person is $36K in the Republic of Korea (2025) and $14K in China (2025).
Key figures (2012)
| Republic of Korea | China | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 49.4 million | 1.36 billion |
| Aged 0–14 | 15.5% | 18.3% |
| Aged 15–64 | 73.0% | 72.7% |
| Aged 65+ | 11.5% | 9.0% |
| Median age | 38.5 yrs | 35.7 yrs |
| Old-age dependency | 15.8 | 12.3 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.27 | 1.80 |
| Life expectancy | 81.3 yrs | 76.2 yrs |
| Population growth | +0.96% | +0.74% |
| Net migration (per year) | +281,866 | -58,864 |
| GDP | $1.87T (2025) | $19.5T (2025) |
| GDP per person | $36K (2025) | $14K (2025) |
| Unemployment | 2.7% (2025) | 4.6% (2025) |
Economic figures are the latest year published for each country.