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Born in 1971

A closer look at your age if you were born in 1971.

    Your age
  • International age54 or 55
  • Korean age56
  • Year age55
    • Zodiac and cycle
  • tti (Korean zodiac animal)White Pig
  • Sexagenary cycleSin-hae (辛亥年)
  • Five element Metal (金)
  • Leap yearCommon year
Other Pig years
1935age 90-911947age 78-791959age 66-671983age 42-431995age 30-312007age 18-19

Life timeline for people born in 1971 🗓️

Key milestones by age, year by year.

  1. Born
    1971Age 0
  2. Starts elementary school
    1978Age 6-7 · elementary

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

  3. Starts middle school
    1984Age 12-13 · middle school
  4. Can take a part-time job
    1986Age 15

    Under 15, or under 18 and still in middle school, you need an employment permit (Labor Standards Act, Art. 64).

  5. Starts high school
    1987Age 15-16 · 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).

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.
🎬 Films and TV from that year
TV drama "Chief Inspector"TV drama "Jang Hee-bin"Film "Love Me Once Again"

Source: Wikipedia · retold from the record

1971 by the numbers

Population and other key statistics.

  • Births in 19711,024,773
  • Registered residents in 2025923,656

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 and life tables; Ministry of the Interior and Safety resident population(as of 2025)

Famous people born in 1971 ⭐

Lee Young-aeActorJanuary 31, 1971 · 55 years oldMa Dong-seokActorMarch 1, 1971 · 55 years oldJ.Y. ParkSinger, ActorDecember 13, 1971 · 54 years oldSong Il-kookActorOctober 1, 1971 · 55 years oldJi Jin-heeActorJune 24, 1971 · 55 years oldGo Hyeon-jeongActorMarch 2, 1971 · 55 years oldAnita TsoySingerFebruary 7, 1971 · 55 years oldHong Seok-cheonActor, ModelFebruary 3, 1971 · 55 years old
Everyone born in 1971
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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 🌐