United States of America vs Republic of Korea: population pyramids in 1978
United States of AmericaRepublic of Korea
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.
United States of America and Republic of Korea compared
In 1978, the United States of America has a population of 224.3 million and the Republic of Korea 37.1 million; the United States of America is about 6.1 times the size of the Republic of Korea.
The share aged 65 and over is 10.7% in the United States of America and 3.7% in the Republic of Korea, 7.0 points higher in the United States of America. The median age is 29.4 years in the United States of America and 20.8 years in the Republic of Korea.
The total fertility rate is 1.80 in the United States of America and 2.70 in the Republic of Korea, so only the United States of America is below the replacement level of about 2.1. Life expectancy at birth is 73.4 years in the United States of America and 65.0 years in the Republic of Korea.
By 2050, the population of the United States of America is projected to grow by 69.5% and that of the Republic of Korea to grow by 22.2% compared with 1978.
GDP per person is $90K in the United States of America (2025) and $36K in the Republic of Korea (2025).
Key figures (1978)
| United States of America | Republic of Korea | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 224.3 million | 37.1 million |
| Aged 0–14 | 23.5% | 36.0% |
| Aged 15–64 | 65.8% | 60.3% |
| Aged 65+ | 10.7% | 3.7% |
| Median age | 29.4 yrs | 20.8 yrs |
| Old-age dependency | 16.2 | 6.1 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.80 | 2.70 |
| Life expectancy | 73.4 yrs | 65.0 yrs |
| Population growth | +0.94% | +1.14% |
| Net migration (per year) | +556,521 | -85,721 |
| GDP | $30.8T (2025) | $1.87T (2025) |
| GDP per person | $90K (2025) | $36K (2025) |
| Unemployment | 4.2% (2025) | 2.7% (2025) |
Economic figures are the latest year published for each country.