City Asia
Daegu
Daegu is a very big city in South Korea. Tall towers rise behind flower parks!
Daegu is a big city in the southeast of South Korea, on the Nakdong River. The encyclopedia Larousse calls it a crossroads of trade and industry, with textiles and food factories. South Korea's 2025 census counted 2,363,643 people in Daegu Metropolitan City.
Daegu, in southeastern South Korea on the Nakdonggang (Larousse), had 2,363,643 inhabitants as a metropolitan city at the register-based census of 1 November 2025 (City Population, from Statistics Korea), after a peak of 2,509,325 in 2000; Larousse lists it among the country's six large autonomous cities and names electrical engineering, textiles and food processing.
Photo: Tory, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Daegu
Daegu is a city in South Korea, a country in East Asia.
The 2025 census counted more than two million people there!
Daegu is a city in the southeast of South Korea, on the Nakdong River. The French encyclopedia Larousse calls it one of the country's six large self-governing cities, together with Busan, Incheon, Gwangju, Daejeon and Ulsan.
South Korea's census of 1 November 2025 counted 2,363,643 people in Daegu Metropolitan City.
Larousse ('Daegu'): a city of South Korea, chef-lieu of Gyeongsangbuk-do province, on the Nakdonggang, in the southeast of the country; population 2,539,587 (2001); one of the six large autonomous cities; a commercial and industrial crossroads; electrical engineering; textiles; food processing; two universities; remains in the old town. City Population (from Statistics Korea), 'Daegu', Metropolitan City: 1,905,959 (census 1 November 1980), 2,359,713 (1990), 2,509,325 (2000), 2,466,411 (2010), 2,488,064 (2015), 2,432,796 (2020), 2,363,643 (1 November 2025). Since 2015 the census is register-based; City Population notes that the resident registration gives figures about 3.5% higher on average.
- Country
- South Korea, in the southeast, on the Nakdong River (Larousse)
- People in the city (census, 1 November 2025)
- 2,363,643 (Daegu Metropolitan City)
- Status
- one of the six large autonomous cities, with Busan, Incheon, Gwangju, Daejeon and Ulsan (Larousse)
- Known for
- trade and industry: electrical engineering, textiles, food processing (Larousse)
Flowers by the stream
Look at the yellow and pink flowers!
A stream flows past a bridge, and tall white buildings stand behind the trees.
Tory took this photo on 25 June 2008 and titled it 'Shin'cheon River and Daegu'. It shows beds of yellow and pink flowers and green lawns, a path beside a stream, a road bridge with cars at the left, and rows of tall white and cream towers behind the trees, with a hazy hill far away.
On Wikidata, Daegu Station is about 0.7 kilometers northwest of the city's point, and Gyeongsang-gamyeong Park about 0.9 kilometers west.
Commons: 'Korea-Daegu-Shincheon River-01', a Flickr photo by Tory (CC BY-SA 2.0; Flickr title 'Shin'cheon River and Daegu'), moved to Commons by Caspian blue with the Flickr upload bot on 12 March 2009; taken 25 June 2008 at 15:23. The category 'Sincheon' was added by another user in 2013. The photo shows flower beds, lawns, a path, a stream with reeds, a road bridge, high-rise towers and a hill on the horizon. A 2008 photo: it shows the city as it was then. Wikidata, from the city point (Q20927): Daegu Station (Q54291), a train station, 0.69 km NW; Gyeongsang-gamyeong Park (Q5624080), 0.85 km W.
- In the photo
- a park beside a stream in Daegu, 25 June 2008 (Tory); the photographer's title: 'Shin'cheon River and Daegu'
- Gyeongsang-gamyeong Park
- a park about 0.9 km west of the city's point (Wikidata)
- Daegu Station
- a train station about 0.7 km northwest of the city's point (Wikidata)
Fifty years of people
Daegu grew bigger and bigger until the year 2000.
Since then, the count has gone down a little.
South Korea's censuses show Daegu growing from 1,905,959 people in 1980 to 2,359,713 in 1990 and 2,509,325 in 2000, the highest count in the table.
After that the numbers went down a little: 2,466,411 in 2010, 2,488,064 in 2015, 2,432,796 in 2020 and 2,363,643 in 2025. Larousse also mentions remains of the past in the old town.
City Population, Daegu Metropolitan City: 1980 1,905,959; 1990 2,359,713; 2000 2,509,325; 2010 2,466,411; 2015 2,488,064; 2020 2,432,796; 2025 2,363,643 (2025 ÷ 2000 ≈ 0.94). Larousse: 'Vestiges dans la vieille ville' (remains in the old town).
- 1980 census
- 1,905,959 people (City Population)
- 2000 census, the highest count
- 2,509,325 people (City Population)
- 2025 census
- 2,363,643 people (City Population)
Trains and markets
Trains stop at Daegu Station.
People shop at a traditional street market.
On Wikidata, Daegu Station, a train station, is about 0.7 kilometers northwest of the city's point. Seomun Market, a traditional street market, is about 1.9 kilometers west.
The Daegu Yangnyeongsi Oriental Medicine Museum, a museum about traditional medicine, is about 1.1 kilometers west-southwest. Larousse calls Daegu a crossroads of trade.
Wikidata from the city point (Q20927): Daegu Station (Q54291) 0.69 km NW; Gyeongsang-gamyeong Park (Q5624080) 0.85 km W; Daegu Yangnyeongsi Oriental Medicine Museum (Q16098756), a medicine museum, 1.09 km WSW; Seomun Market (Q624174), a traditional street market, 1.93 km W. Larousse: carrefour commercial et industriel.
- Railway
- Daegu Station, about 0.7 km northwest of the city's point (Wikidata)
- Market
- Seomun Market, a traditional street market about 1.9 km west (Wikidata)
- Museum
- Daegu Yangnyeongsi Oriental Medicine Museum, about 1.1 km west-southwest (Wikidata)
On the Nakdong River
Daegu is near a long river, the Nakdong.
A smaller stream runs through a park in the city.
Larousse places Daegu on the Nakdonggang, the Nakdong River, in the southeast of South Korea.
The photo shows a smaller stream inside the city, which the photographer calls the Shin'cheon River, with a park of flowers, lawns and paths along its bank. The World Meteorological Organization's city list has no table of monthly averages for Daegu.
Larousse ('Daegu'): sur le Nakdonggang, au S.-E. du pays; chef-lieu de la province de Gyeongsangbuk-do (an entry whose population figure is from 2001). Commons: the photographer's Flickr title names the stream 'Shin'cheon River'. No climate table is given: Daegu is not in the WMO city list, and the Japan Meteorological Agency's normals page for Daegu (station 47143) gives monthly precipitation but no temperatures, and no second source was opened to check its sum.
- River
- the Nakdonggang (Nakdong River) (Larousse)
- Where
- in the southeast of South Korea (Larousse)
- Stream in the photo
- the 'Shin'cheon River', as the photographer titles it (Commons)
Industry and universities
People in Daegu make cloth, machines and food.
Students learn at its universities.
Larousse names three kinds of industry in Daegu: electrical engineering, textiles (cloth) and food processing. It also names two universities.
Daegu is split into districts. At the 2025 census, Buk-gu, the North District, had 420,824 people, more than in 1980, when it had 302,314. Larousse calls the whole city a crossroads of trade and industry, where goods are made, bought and sold.
Larousse: électrotechnique; textile; agroalimentaire; deux universités. City Population, Daegu districts, census 2025: Buk-gu 420,824 (1980: 302,314).
- Industry
- electrical engineering, textiles and food processing (Larousse)
- Universities
- two universities (Larousse)
- One of its districts (2025)
- Buk-gu (North District), 420,824 people (City Population)
Daegu on the map
Find South Korea on the globe, then look to its southeast. Daegu is there.
Daegu lies at about 35.87° north and 128.60° east, in the southeast of South Korea.
On Wikidata, Daegu Station is about 0.7 kilometers northwest of the city's point, Gyeongsang-gamyeong Park about 0.9 kilometers west, the medicine museum about 1.1 kilometers west-southwest and Seomun Market about 1.9 kilometers west.
Daegu lies at about 35.87° N, 128.60° E (Wikidata point of Daegu, Q20927; the sheet point is 0.45 km SE of it). Wikidata from the city point: Daegu Station 0.69 km NW; Gyeongsang-gamyeong Park 0.85 km W; Oriental Medicine Museum 1.09 km WSW; Seomun Market 1.93 km W.
- Latitude
- about 35.87° north
- Longitude
- about 128.60° east
- Where
- in the southeast of South Korea (Larousse)
Amazing facts
-
Daegu had more people in 2000 than in 2025!
South Korea's 2000 census counted 2,509,325 people in Daegu, more than the 2,363,643 counted in 2025.
City Population: 2,509,325 (2000) vs 2,363,643 (2025), a fall of 145,682 (about 6%).
-
Daegu has a museum about traditional medicine!
On Wikidata, the Daegu Yangnyeongsi Oriental Medicine Museum is about 1.1 kilometers west-southwest of the city's point.
Wikidata: Daegu Yangnyeongsi Oriental Medicine Museum (Q16098756), a medicine museum, 1.09 km WSW of the city point.
-
Daegu is one of six big cities in South Korea that run themselves!
Larousse lists Daegu among South Korea's six large autonomous cities, with Busan, Incheon, Gwangju, Daejeon and Ulsan.
Larousse: 'Daegu est l'une des six grandes villes autonomes (avec Busan, Incheon, Gwangju, Daejeon et Ulsan).'
Words to know
- census
- an official count of all the people living in a place
- metropolitan city
- in South Korea, a very large city with its own government, like a province
- textiles
- cloth, and the things made from it
- food processing
- turning farm products into foods that are ready to sell
- register-based census
- a census made by counting people from official records instead of asking every home
- stream
- a small river
Discovery challenge
-
Daegu is a city in which country?
In which country is the city of Daegu?
Daegu is one of the six large autonomous cities of which country?
- South Korea
- Brazil
- Egypt
Show the answer
South Korea
South Korea!
South Korea.
South Korea.
-
In which year did Daegu have the most people?
In which census year did Daegu reach its highest count?
Which census in City Population's table gives Daegu its highest population?
- 2000
- 1980
- 2025
Show the answer
2000
2000!
2000, with 2,509,325 people.
2000: 2,509,325.
-
Which river is Daegu on?
On which river does Larousse place Daegu?
Larousse places Daegu on which river?
- The Nakdong River
- The Nile
- The Danube
Show the answer
The Nakdong River
The Nakdong River!
The Nakdong River (Nakdonggang).
The Nakdonggang.
-
What kind of cloth-making is Daegu known for?
Which of these industries does Larousse name for Daegu?
Besides electrical engineering and food processing, which industry does Larousse list for Daegu?
- Textiles
- Shipbuilding
- Oil drilling
Show the answer
Textiles
Textiles!
Textiles.
Textiles (textile).
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Daegu in southeastern South Korea, on the Nakdong River.
- Read census numbers that rise to a peak and then fall a little.
- Name the industries of a big city.
- Explain what a register-based census is.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Why might a big city's population go down a little after many years of growth?
- How can a park along a stream change life in a crowded city?
- What is the difference between counting people at their doors and counting them from records?
Try at home or in class
- Peak chart: draw bars for Daegu's seven census counts and circle the highest.
- Park plan: design a stream park with flower beds, a path and a bridge, like the one in the photo.
- Market list: make a list of what you might find in a traditional street market.
Key vocabulary: census, metropolitan city, textiles, food processing, register-based census, stream
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Natural Earth vector data , Natural Earth (NACIS) (Public domain)
- Daegu , Larousse encyclopédie
- South Korea: Administrative Division (Provinces, Counties, Cities and City Districts) , City Population (Thomas Brinkhoff), from Statistics Korea
- Korea-Daegu-Shincheon River-01 , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.