Place comparison

South Korea compared with Texas: area, population and density

Texas has about 6.7 times South Korea’s land, but South Korea has about 1.6 times Texas’s population, so it is about 11 times as dense.

Place A Grouped by country or region Place B Grouped by country or region

Equal-area outline comparison

Outlines are centered and scaled by official land area; position does not show geographic location.

Area

Population

Population density

Area data date

Population data date

The guide below belongs to this pair: South Korea and Texas. Change the selector above and the page follows, so the reading always matches the tool.

Direct answer

How different are South Korea and Texas?

South Korea covers 100,459.9 km² (38,788 sq mi); South Korea's area is about 14.8% of Texas's. Its reported population is 51,805,547; South Korea's population is 1.63 times Texas's. By average density, South Korea's population density is 11 times Texas's.

Area difference

South Korea's area is about 14.8% of Texas's 100,459.9 km² (38,788 sq mi) · 676,660.2 km² (261,260 sq mi)

Population difference

South Korea's population is 1.63 times Texas's 51,805,547 · 31,709,821

Density difference

South Korea's population density is 11 times Texas's 515.7 /km² (1,336 /sq mi) · 46.9 /km² (121 /sq mi)

Full data and sources for each place: South Korea area & population, Texas area & population

Straight-line distance between geometric centres: about 11002 km; time difference: 15 hours (14 hours during daylight saving time).

On a familiar scale

South Korea ≈ the size of Virginia (reference rung) 1,939 m² of land per resident
Texas ≈ 1.68 × California 21,339 m² of land per resident

Reference scales come from U.S. Census Bureau: 2025 Gazetteer Files: land area of states and counties , as of 2025-01-01.

How to read it

Almost seven South Koreas of land fit inside Texas, yet South Korea has 20 million more people.

Geography and shape

South Korea occupies the southern half of the Korean Peninsula, about 70% of it mountainous, with its population concentrated around Seoul and along the southeast coast. Texas spreads across more than 1,200 km of plains, hill country and desert, with its people concentrated in four metropolitan areas: Houston, Dallas–Fort Worth, San Antonio and Austin.

Population context

South Korea has 51,805,547 people on 100,460 km², about 516 per km². Texas has an estimated 31,709,821 on 676,660 km² of land, about 47 per km². South Korea holds about 1.6 times Texas’s population on about 15% of its land.

Boundaries and definitions

South Korea uses its register-based census for 1 November 2024 and registered cadastral land. Texas uses the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 estimate for 1 July 2025 and the state’s land area, which excludes 19,008 km² of water. The population dates are eight months apart, which does not change any ratio on this page at the precision shown.

South Korea: Register-based census population, including Korean and foreign residents; registered cadastral land area.

Texas: The State of Texas: 676,660.16 km² of land and 31,709,821 residents. Area is the Census Bureau’s land area (ALAND) for the state in the 2025 Gazetteer, which excludes inland and coastal water — another 19,008 km², so the land-plus-water total is 695,668 km². Population is the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 resident estimate for 1 July 2025, not a census count. The outline is Natural Earth’s admin-1 polygon for Texas, which measures about 1.4% larger than the official land area because its coastline encloses some bays. Most of Texas keeps Central Time (UTC−6, UTC−5 in summer); El Paso and Hudspeth counties in the far west use Mountain Time, one hour behind.

In-depth guide

How should South Korea and Texas be understood in context?

South Korea is a country of about 52 million people; Texas, a state of about 32 million. Texas nonetheless has almost seven times South Korea’s land, which is why the two average densities differ by about eleven to one.

More people on a seventh of the land

South Korea’s 100,460 km² is about 15% of Texas’s 676,660 km² of land, yet its 51.8 million people are about 1.6 times Texas’s 31.7 million. South Korea averages about 516 people per km²; Texas about 47.

Roughly half of South Koreans live in the Seoul Capital Area. If you want a state with about the same land as South Korea, Kentucky (102,268 km²) and Virginia (102,257 km²) are both within 2%.

Questions people ask

About this geographic comparison

Which is bigger, South Korea or Texas?

Texas is bigger, with a land area about 6.74× that of South Korea (South Korea 100,459.9 vs Texas 676,660.2 km², or 38,788 sq mi vs 261,260 sq mi).

How big is South Korea compared to Texas?

Texas has 676,660.2 km² (261,260 sq mi) and South Korea has 100,459.9 km² (38,788 sq mi): the ratio is 6.74×. Conversely, South Korea has 14.8% of Texas's area.

Does South Korea or Texas have more people?

South Korea has 51,805,547 people (2024-11-01), versus 31,709,821 in Texas (2025-07-01): 1.63×. In reverse, Texas has 61.2% of South Korea's population. South Korea is 14.8% the size of Texas — 100,459.9 km² vs 676,660.2 km² (38,788 sq mi vs 261,260 sq mi). Population is 1.63× higher; average density is 11× higher. Each side’s scope and reference date are set out under “Boundaries and definitions” on this page.

Is South Korea bigger than Texas?

No. Texas is bigger, with a land area about 6.74× that of South Korea (South Korea 100,459.9 vs Texas 676,660.2 km², or 38,788 sq mi vs 261,260 sq mi). The area difference is 576,200.3 km². Texas has 676,660.2 km² (261,260 sq mi) and South Korea has 100,459.9 km² (38,788 sq mi): the ratio is 6.74×. Conversely, South Korea has 14.8% of Texas's area.

How many South Koreas would fit in Texas?

About 6.7 by land area: 676,660 km² against 100,460 km².

Which US state is closest to South Korea in size?

By Census land area, Kentucky (102,268 km²) and Virginia (102,257 km²) are both within 2% of South Korea’s 100,460 km².

Sources

Outline data:

Natural Earth · Public domain