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Republic of Korea vs Japan: population pyramids in 1955

1955Swap

Republic of KoreaJapan

2%1.5%1%0.5%0%0.5%1%1.5%2%0102030405060708090100MaleFemale

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 Japan compared

In 1955, the Republic of Korea has a population of 21.8 million and Japan 91.9 million; Japan is about 4.2 times the size of the Republic of Korea.

The share aged 65 and over is 2.9% in the Republic of Korea and 5.2% in Japan, 2.4 points higher in Japan. The median age is 18.8 years in the Republic of Korea and 23.5 years in Japan.

The total fertility rate is 6.17 in the Republic of Korea and 2.35 in Japan, both above the replacement level of about 2.1. Life expectancy at birth is 48.4 years in the Republic of Korea and 65.7 years in Japan.

By 2050, the population of the Republic of Korea is projected to grow by 108.1% and that of Japan to grow by 14.3% compared with 1955.

GDP per person is $36K in the Republic of Korea (2025) and $36K in Japan (2025).

Key figures (1955)

Republic of KoreaJapan
Population21.8 million91.9 million
Aged 0–1441.1%33.5%
Aged 15–6456.0%61.2%
Aged 65+2.9%5.2%
Median age18.8 yrs23.5 yrs
Old-age dependency5.28.6
Total fertility rate6.172.35
Life expectancy48.4 yrs65.7 yrs
Population growth+3.30%+1.08%
Net migration (per year)+151,123-95,975
GDP$1.87T (2025)$4.44T (2025)
GDP per person$36K (2025)$36K (2025)
Unemployment2.7% (2025)2.5% (2025)

Economic figures are the latest year published for each country.

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