East Asia & Pacific · KR
Generation Alpha & Beta
in South Korea
How many of each cohort South Korea has, how fast the next one is arriving, and what the fertility rate, median age and school system mean for both.
South Korea has approximately 6 million Generation Alpha people (born 2010–2024), about 11.5% of its population, and roughly 433,180 Generation Beta children born since 2025. Its fertility rate is 0.72 and its child population is shrinking, projected -38% by 2040.
Births since 1 January 2025 at South Korea's own rate, less infant mortality. At 658 births a day it climbs steadily rather than visibly.
Born 2010–2024 — 11.5% of the population, aged 2–16 this year.
About 658 births a day, all of them Generation Beta.
Smaller than the Alpha cohort of 6 million.
Size of the Generation Alpha cohort
Share of the population under 15
Total fertility rate
Child population to 2040 (−38%)
South Korea against the world average
Key dates for South Korea
9 compulsory years from age 6.
Born on 1 January 2025, they reach South Korea's starting age of 6.
Under-15s change by −38% against today.
Eighteen years after the cohort opened.
The cohort closes on 31 December 2039; its youngest members enter school here.
School dates follow South Korea's own starting age of 6 and 9 compulsory years, so they differ from the global figures on our Generation Beta page.
Every figure on this page
South Korea in 20 numbers
| Indicator | South Korea | World average | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 52.0 million | — | #29 of 194 |
| Generation Alpha (born 2010–2024) | 6 million | — | #61 of 194 |
| Gen Alpha share of population | 11.5% | — | #192 of 194 |
| Projected Gen Beta births 2025–39 | 3 million | — | #77 of 194 |
| Births per year | 240,000 | — | #77 of 194 |
| Births per day | 658 | — | #77 of 194 |
| Under-15 share of population | 11% | 25% | #192 of 194 |
| Total fertility rate | 0.72 | 2.2 | #194 of 194 |
| Median age | 45 years | 31 years | #12 of 194 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 84 years | 73 years | #4 of 194 |
| Urban population | 82% | 58% | #43 of 194 |
| Internet use | 97% | 68% | #15 of 192 |
| Secondary school completion | 98% | 60% | #24 of 189 |
| School starting age | age 6 | — | #30 of 194 |
| Compulsory years of schooling | 9 years | — | #109 of 194 |
| Daily screen time, ages 8–12 | 3.4 hours | — | #29 of 42 |
| Cost of raising a child to 18 | $260k | — | #5 of 61 |
| Under-15 population change to 2040 | −38% | — | #194 of 194 |
| Youth dependency ratio | 16 per 100 adults | — | #192 of 194 |
| Mobile connections per 100 people | 140 | — | #34 of 194 |
Rank is out of the 194 countries profiled here and always runs highest first — so #1 on median age is the oldest country, not the youngest. World averages are population-weighted global figures and are shown only where a comparable one exists. Sources: UN World Population Prospects, World Bank Open Data, UNESCO and ITU, via our sources page.
1950 to 2023, with the UN projection to 2030
South Korea birth rate and fertility rate by year
About 236,400 babies were born in South Korea in 2023, and women had 0.72 children on average. Since 1950, births peaked in 1960 at about 1.1 million. Fertility first fell below the replacement level of 2.1 in 1984. Annual births are 61% lower than in 2000.
Fertility rate (children per woman)
Births per year
Thousands of births. Dashed: UN medium-variant projection.
| Year | Births | Fertility rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 784,800 | 6.06 |
| 1960 | 1.1 million | 5.99 |
| 1970 | 987,600 | 4.46 |
| 1980 | 853,600 | 2.73 |
| 1990 | 684,400 | 1.60 |
| 2000 | 599,400 | 1.47 |
| 2010 | 449,700 | 1.23 |
| 2015 | 424,800 | 1.20 |
| 2020 | 270,000 | 0.81 |
| 2021 | 259,300 | 0.78 |
| 2022 | 256,600 | 0.78 |
| 2023 | 236,400 | 0.72 |
| 2025 projected | 245,900 | 0.75 |
| 2030 projected | 258,000 | 0.81 |
UN World Population Prospects 2024, republished by Our World in Data. Years to 2023 are UN estimates, which can differ from a country's own registered counts; later years are the UN medium-variant projection. Every country is ranked on fertility rate by country.
Regional peers
Elsewhere in East Asia & Pacific
China
230 million Generation Alpha
Indonesia
68 million Generation Alpha
Japan
14 million Generation Alpha
Philippines
32 million Generation Alpha
Vietnam
23 million Generation Alpha
Thailand
11 million Generation Alpha
Myanmar
13 million Generation Alpha
Malaysia
8 million Generation Alpha
Run the numbers yourself
Tools that use this data
Gen Beta by Country Forecast
Where the 2.1 billion Betas will be born, and which countries shrink instead.
Under-15 Share by Country
The countries where Alpha and Beta make up the largest share of the population.
Global Child Population Table
Where the world's children are, ranked by region, with the direction each one is…
Median Age Calculator
What a country's median age implies about its Alpha and Beta share, its dependency…
School-Age Population Forecast
How many children will be of school age in any year, globally or nationally.
Where a tool takes a number it opens prefilled with South Korea's own figure rather than the world one, and every input stays editable. The rest are the same ranked tables for every country.
Frequently asked about South Korea
How many Gen Alpha are there in South Korea?
Approximately 6 million people born between 2010 and 2024 live in South Korea, about 11.5% of the population.
How many Gen Beta children are there in South Korea?
Roughly 433,180 children have been born in South Korea since 1 January 2025, growing by about 27 every hour.
What is the fertility rate in South Korea?
South Korea has a total fertility rate of 0.72 children per woman, against a replacement level of 2.1 and a world average of about 2.2.
At what age do children start school in South Korea?
Compulsory schooling begins at age 6 in South Korea, and runs for 9 years.
Is the child population in South Korea growing or shrinking?
It is shrinking. The under-15 population is projected to change by -38% between now and 2040.
How many babies are born in South Korea each year?
About 236,400 in 2023, according to UN estimates, down from a peak of about 1.1 million in 1960 (the highest since 1950). The UN projects about 258,000 in 2030.
How has the fertility rate in South Korea changed over time?
It was 6.06 children per woman in 1950 and 0.72 in 2023. It first fell below the replacement level of 2.1 in 1984.
AlphaBetaMinds (2026). Generation Alpha and Generation Beta in South Korea. Retrieved from https://alphabetaminds.com/countries/south-korea
The printed sheet keeps the headline numbers, the world comparison, the key dates, the full indicator table and this citation, and drops the navigation, the tools and the FAQ. It fits a page or two and needs no login.
Free to reproduce, commercially or not, with a credit and a link. Figures are estimates for 2025–2026 and are updated when the underlying sources are.