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Born in 1971

If you were born in 1971, you're 54 or 55 in 2026 - and your tti (Korean zodiac animal) is the White Pig.

    Your age in 2026
  • International age54 or 55
  • Korean age56
  • Year age55
    • The year 1971
  • tti (Korean zodiac animal)White Pig
  • Sexagenary cycleSin-hae (辛亥年)
  • Five element Metal (金)
  • Leap yearCommon year
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White PigSin-hae (辛亥年) · Metal (金)

In the sexagenary cycle, 1971 is Sin-hae (辛亥年). Its heavenly stem carries the element Metal (金), and that element decides the color - which makes it a year of the White Pig (亥).

Born 12 years apart - same Pig
1935age 911947age 791959age 671983age 431995age 312007age 19

The year you were born: 1971

Here's what the world was up to that year 👀

📰 What happened that year
  1. March 27🪖 Twenty thousand infantry soldiers from the U.S. 7th Division pulled out of Dongducheon.
  2. April 27🗳️ South Korea held its 7th presidential election, and Park Chung-hee won.
  3. August 10🏚️ Some 50,000 people at a resettlement site in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, staged a huge protest over the government going back on its promises.
  4. August 23💥 Special forces trainees from Silmido Island made their way into Seoul and exchanged fire with troops and police.
  5. September 20🤝 The North and South Korean Red Cross societies held their first preliminary talks at Panmunjom on reuniting separated families.
  6. October 21🇨🇳 The United Nations recognized the People's Republic of China as China's representative.
  7. November 15💻 Intel released the Intel 4004.
  8. December 25🔥 A fire broke out at the Daeyeonggak Hotel in Seoul.
⭐ Born that year
Elon Musk, South African-born American entrepreneurLee Young-ae, actorMa Dong-seok, actorKo Hyun-jung, actorShin Dong-yup, comedian and TV personalityAhn Jae-wook, actor
🎬 Films and TV from that year
TV drama "Chief Inspector"TV drama "Jang Hee-bin"Film "Love Me Once Again"
🏆 Nobel Prizes that year
  • EconomicsSimon Kuznets
  • LiteraturePablo Neruda
  • PhysicsDennis Gabor
  • Physiology or MedicineEarl W. Sutherland Jr.
  • PeaceWilly Brandt
  • ChemistryGerhard Herzberg

Source: Wikipedia · retold from the record

Life timeline for people born in 1971 🗓️

What someone born in 1971 becomes eligible for, year by year.

  1. Born
    1971Age 0
  2. Starts elementary school
    1978Age 6 · elementary

    The March after turning 6 - Korean school years start in March, not September.

  3. Starts middle school
    1984Age 12 · middle school
  4. Can take a part-time job
    1986Age 15

    Ages 13-14 can work only with an employment permit (Labor Standards Act).

  5. Starts high school
    1987Age 15 · high school
  6. Gets a resident registration card
    1988Age 17

    Issued from the first day of the month after turning 17 (Resident Registration Act).

  7. Can get a driver's licence
    1989Age 18

    Class 2 ordinary licence. Mopeds are allowed from 16 (Road Traffic Act).

  8. Can vote
    1989Age 18

    Must be 18 on election day (Public Official Election Act).

  9. Can buy alcohol and tobacco
    1990Year age 19

    From January 1 of the year you turn 19 - this one uses year age, not your birthday (Youth Protection Act).

  10. Legal adulthood
    1990Age 19

    Adulthood begins on the 19th birthday (Civil Act, Article 4).

  11. Military service examination
    1990Year age 19

    Held in the year a man turns 19 (Military Service Act · year age · men only).

  12. Statutory retirement ageUpcoming
    2031Age 60

    The floor employers must set, not a fixed date (Act on Prohibition of Age Discrimination · reference).

  13. National Pension startsUpcoming
    2036Age 65

    Between 63 and 65 depending on your birth year, with at least 10 years of contributions (National Pension Act · reference).

Ages follow international age unless noted. Buying alcohol or tobacco and the military service examination use year age - the calendar year you turn that age - so they can land a year earlier than you expect. School entry, retirement and the National Pension are general rules and can differ case by case.

1971 by the numbers

What Korea's statistics office recorded about 1971.

Babies born in 1971

1,024,773babies

Then and now
  • When they were born1,024,773
  • Today (2025)923,656

90% of that year's babies are still here with us. ✨

  • Life expectancy at birth62.7 yrsMen 59.1 · Women 66.3Born in 2024: 83.7 yrs
  • Births per woman4.54Children per woman over a lifetimeIn 2025: 0.8
  • Sex ratio at birth109109 boys per 100 girls

Source: Statistics Korea - Birth Statistics(1970~2025) and Life Tables(~2024); Ministry of the Interior and Safety - Resident Registration Population(as of 2025) (KOSIS)

Famous people born in 1971 ⭐

Lee Young-aeActorJanuary 31, 1971 · 55 years old🤍 White PigMa Dong-seokActorMarch 1, 1971 · 55 years old🤍 White PigJ.Y. ParkSinger, ActorDecember 13, 1971 · 54 years old🤍 White PigSong Il-kookActorOctober 1, 1971 · 54 years old🤍 White PigJi Jin-heeActorJune 24, 1971 · 55 years old🤍 White PigGo Hyeon-jeongActorMarch 2, 1971 · 55 years old🤍 White PigAnita TsoySinger, ActorFebruary 7, 1971 · 55 years old🤍 White PigHong Seok-cheonActor, ModelFebruary 3, 1971 · 55 years old🤍 White Pig
Who else was born in 1971?Everyone born in 1971

Frequently asked questions ❓

In 2026, someone born in 1971 is 55 if they've already had their birthday this year and 54 if they haven't. In Korean age they're 56, and their year age is 55.
Counting from 2026, a 54-year-old was born in 1971.
1971 is the year of the White Pig. In the sexagenary cycle it's Sin-hae (辛亥), and because the heavenly stem carries the element Metal (金), the animal picks up the color White. One catch: the tti turns over at ipchun, around February 4, so a birthday before that counts as the previous year's animal.
No. 1971 is a common year - 365 days, and February ends on the 28th.
Korean age starts at 1 the day you're born, and everybody adds a year together on January 1 instead of on their birthday. That makes it one or two years higher than international age. Since June 2023, Korean law, contracts, and official documents all use international age, but you'll still hear Korean age in everyday conversation.

Sources 🌐