South Korea's cities at a glance
Dots sized by population · Seoul in orange
South Korea has 10 cities with more than a million inhabitants and 57 with more than 100,000 (city-proper figures). The largest is Seoul with 10,349,312 people, followed by Busan (3,285,147) and Incheon (3,015,482). The three largest cities together hold about 32.3% of the country's 51.6 million people.
The capital, Seoul, is also the largest city.
By region, the most large cities are in Gyeonggi-do (20), Gyeongsangbuk-do (7), Gyeongsangnam-do (5).
Country-level figures — live population, births and deaths, growth, density and history — are on the South Korea population page; provinces, terrain, rivers and society maps are in the South Korea atlas.
South Korea cities by population
| # | City | Region | Population | Share of South Korea |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SeoulCapital | Seoul | 10,349,312 | 20.1% |
| 2 | Busan | Busan | 3,285,147 | 6.4% |
| 3 | Incheon | Incheon | 3,015,482 | 5.8% |
| 4 | Daegu | Daegu | 2,365,523 | 4.6% |
| 5 | Daejeon | Daejeon | 1,441,203 | 2.8% |
| 6 | Gwangju | Gwangju | 1,401,235 | 2.7% |
| 7 | Suwon | Gyeonggi-do | 1,234,582 | 2.4% |
| 8 | Ulsan | Ulsan | 1,098,421 | 2.1% |
| 9 | Goyang-si | Gyeonggi-do | 1,061,752 | 2.1% |
| 10 | Changwon | Gyeongsangnam-do | 1,025,702 | 2% |
| 11 | Seongnam-si | Gyeonggi-do | 914,832 | 1.8% |
| 12 | Cheongju-si | North Chungcheong | 852,147 | 1.7% |
| 13 | Bucheon-si | Gyeonggi-do | 850,731 | 1.6% |
| 14 | Cheonan | Chungcheongnam-do | 658,831 | 1.3% |
| 15 | Hwaseong-si | Gyeonggi-do | 640,890 | 1.2% |
| 16 | Jeonju | Jeollabuk-do | 638,421 | 1.2% |
| 17 | Ansan-si | Gyeonggi-do | 623,256 | 1.2% |
| 18 | Anyang-si | Gyeonggi-do | 595,644 | 1.2% |
| 19 | Kimhae | Gyeongsangnam-do | 531,966 | 1% |
| 20 | Pohang | Gyeongsangbuk-do | 492,041 | 1% |
| 21 | Jeju City | Jeju-do | 488,844 | 0.9% |
| 22 | Uijeongbu-si | Gyeonggi-do | 479,141 | 0.9% |
| 23 | Paju | Gyeonggi-do | 465,617 | 0.9% |
| 24 | Gumi | Gyeongsangbuk-do | 404,691 | 0.8% |
| 25 | Sejong | Sejong-si | 394,630 | 0.8% |
| 26 | Pyeongtaek | Gyeonggi-do | 364,694 | 0.7% |
| 27 | Yangsan | Gyeongsangnam-do | 358,074 | 0.7% |
| 28 | Gwangmyeong | Gyeonggi-do | 357,545 | 0.7% |
| 29 | Wŏnju | Gangwon-do | 332,849 | 0.6% |
| 30 | Chinju | Gyeongsangnam-do | 307,242 | 0.6% |
| 31 | Iksan | Jeollabuk-do | 307,000 | 0.6% |
| 32 | Gunpo | Gyeonggi-do | 286,485 | 0.6% |
| 33 | Chuncheon | Gangwon-do | 284,855 | 0.6% |
| 34 | Suncheon | Jeollanam-do | 276,375 | 0.5% |
| 35 | Yeosu | Jeollanam-do | 268,823 | 0.5% |
| 36 | Mokpo | Jeollanam-do | 268,402 | 0.5% |
| 37 | Gyeongsan-si | Gyeongsangbuk-do | 266,951 | 0.5% |
| 38 | Gunsan | Jeollabuk-do | 264,656 | 0.5% |
| 39 | Hanam | Gyeonggi-do | 254,415 | 0.5% |
| 40 | Gyeongju | Gyeongsangbuk-do | 245,365 | 0.5% |
| 41 | Osan | Gyeonggi-do | 238,788 | 0.5% |
| 42 | Geoje | Gyeongsangnam-do | 232,921 | 0.5% |
| 43 | Chungju | North Chungcheong | 209,483 | 0.4% |
| 44 | Gangneung | Gangwon-do | 208,161 | 0.4% |
| 45 | Gimpo-si | Gyeonggi-do | 203,391 | 0.4% |
| 46 | Icheon-si | Gyeonggi-do | 196,230 | 0.4% |
| 47 | Guri-si | Gyeonggi-do | 195,236 | 0.4% |
| 48 | Yangju | Gyeonggi-do | 179,923 | 0.3% |
| 49 | Seogwipo | Jeju-do | 178,552 | 0.3% |
| 50 | Gwangyang | Jeollanam-do | 154,266 | 0.3% |
| 51 | Andong | Gyeongsangbuk-do | 153,348 | 0.3% |
| 52 | Gimcheon | Gyeongsangbuk-do | 150,000 | 0.3% |
| 53 | Jeongeup | Jeollabuk-do | 139,876 | 0.3% |
| 54 | Yeoju | Gyeonggi-do | 111,897 | 0.2% |
| 55 | Hwado | Gyeonggi-do | 106,358 | 0.2% |
| 56 | Sangju | Gyeongsangbuk-do | 101,267 | 0.2% |
| 57 | Donghae City | Gangwon-do | 101,128 | 0.2% |
Cities with 300,000 or more people link to their own page. The list keeps every city of 100,000+ and at least the 30 largest places of the country.
Frequently asked questions
What is the largest city in South Korea?
Seoul, with about 10,349,312 inhabitants (city proper).
What is the capital of South Korea?
Seoul — population 10,349,312, the largest city in the country.
How many cities in South Korea have over one million people?
10: Seoul, Busan, Incheon, Daegu, Daejeon, Gwangju, Suwon, Ulsan, Goyang-si, Changwon.
Are these metropolitan-area populations?
No. They are city-proper figures (the administrative city) from GeoNames, based on the latest census or official estimate. Metropolitan areas, which include suburbs and satellite towns, are larger — often several times larger for the biggest cities.
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VietnamCite or link to this page
Glostats. (2026). Largest Cities in South Korea 2026: Population Ranking. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://glostats.com/cities/south-korea/<a href="https://glostats.com/cities/south-korea/">Largest Cities in South Korea 2026: Population Ranking</a> — GlostatsFigures on this page may be quoted, charted or republished as long as the page is credited with a link. Terms · Download the data as CSV · Embed a live counter.
City populations are GeoNames figures (CC BY 4.0): the latest official census or estimate for the city proper — the municipality, not the wider metropolitan area — so they can differ from "metro area" numbers you see elsewhere. Country populations are live Glostats estimates from the UN World Population Prospects. Page generated 2026-10-20. More about our data.