Republic of Korea vs United States of America: population pyramids in 1997
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 1997, the Republic of Korea has a population of 45.8 million and the United States of America 272.1 million; the United States of America is about 5.9 times the size of the Republic of Korea.
The share aged 65 and over is 6.1% in the Republic of Korea and 12.4% in the United States of America, 6.3 points higher in the United States of America. The median age is 30.0 years in the Republic of Korea and 34.5 years in the United States of America.
The total fertility rate is 1.56 in the Republic of Korea and 1.96 in the United States of America, both below the replacement level of about 2.1. Life expectancy at birth is 74.5 years in the Republic of Korea and 76.5 years in the United States of America.
By 2050, the population of the Republic of Korea is projected to shrink by 1.1% and that of the United States of America to grow by 39.7% compared with 1997.
GDP per person is $36K in the Republic of Korea (2025) and $90K in the United States of America (2025).
Key figures (1997)
| Republic of Korea | United States of America | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 45.8 million | 272.1 million |
| Aged 0–14 | 22.3% | 21.6% |
| Aged 15–64 | 71.7% | 66.0% |
| Aged 65+ | 6.1% | 12.4% |
| Median age | 30.0 yrs | 34.5 yrs |
| Old-age dependency | 8.5 | 18.7 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.56 | 1.96 |
| Life expectancy | 74.5 yrs | 76.5 yrs |
| Population growth | +0.65% | +0.95% |
| Net migration (per year) | -109,130 | +1.1 million |
| 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.