United States of America vs Republic of Korea: population pyramids in 1987
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 1987, the United States of America has a population of 245 million and the Republic of Korea 42 million; the United States of America is about 5.8 times the size of the Republic of Korea.
The share aged 65 and over is 11.9% in the United States of America and 4.4% in the Republic of Korea, 7.5 points higher in the United States of America. The median age is 31.9 years in the United States of America and 25.0 years in the Republic of Korea.
The total fertility rate is 1.89 in the United States of America and 1.57 in the Republic of Korea, both below the replacement level of about 2.1. Life expectancy at birth is 74.9 years in the United States of America and 69.3 years in the Republic of Korea.
By 2050, the population of the United States of America is projected to grow by 55.2% and that of the Republic of Korea to grow by 7.8% compared with 1987.
GDP per person is $90K in the United States of America (2025) and $36K in the Republic of Korea (2025).
Key figures (1987)
| United States of America | Republic of Korea | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 245 million | 42 million |
| Aged 0–14 | 21.3% | 28.7% |
| Aged 15–64 | 66.8% | 66.9% |
| Aged 65+ | 11.9% | 4.4% |
| Median age | 31.9 yrs | 25.0 yrs |
| Old-age dependency | 17.8 | 6.6 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.89 | 1.57 |
| Life expectancy | 74.9 yrs | 69.3 yrs |
| Population growth | +0.90% | +1.42% |
| Net migration (per year) | +480,815 | +198,057 |
| 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.