Republic of Korea vs United States of America: population pyramids in 1979
Republic of KoreaUnited States of America
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 United States of America compared
In 1979, the Republic of Korea has a population of 37.5 million and the United States of America 226.4 million; the United States of America is about 6.0 times the size of the Republic of Korea.
The share aged 65 and over is 3.7% in the Republic of Korea and 10.8% in the United States of America, 7.1 points higher in the United States of America. The median age is 21.2 years in the Republic of Korea and 29.7 years in the United States of America.
The total fertility rate is 2.75 in the Republic of Korea and 1.84 in the United States of America, so only the United States of America is below the replacement level of about 2.1. Life expectancy at birth is 66.1 years in the Republic of Korea and 73.8 years in the United States of America.
By 2050, the population of the Republic of Korea is projected to grow by 20.8% and that of the United States of America to grow by 67.9% compared with 1979.
GDP per person is $36K in the Republic of Korea (2025) and $90K in the United States of America (2025).
Key figures (1979)
| Republic of Korea | United States of America | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 37.5 million | 226.4 million |
| Aged 0–14 | 35.1% | 23.0% |
| Aged 15–64 | 61.1% | 66.2% |
| Aged 65+ | 3.7% | 10.8% |
| Median age | 21.2 yrs | 29.7 yrs |
| Old-age dependency | 6.1 | 16.3 |
| Total fertility rate | 2.75 | 1.84 |
| Life expectancy | 66.1 yrs | 73.8 yrs |
| Population growth | +1.15% | +0.98% |
| Net migration (per year) | -139,566 | +503,559 |
| GDP | $1.87T (2025) | $30.8T (2025) |
| GDP per person | $36K (2025) | $90K (2025) |
| Unemployment | 2.7% (2025) | 4.2% (2025) |
Economic figures are the latest year published for each country.