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Born in 1973

A closer look at your age if you were born in 1973.

    Your age
  • International age52 or 53
  • Korean age54
  • Year age53
    • Zodiac and cycle
  • tti (Korean zodiac animal)Black Ox
  • Sexagenary cycleGye-chuk (癸丑年)
  • Five element Water (水)
  • Leap yearCommon year
Other Ox years
1937age 88-891949age 76-771961age 64-651985age 40-411997age 28-292009age 16-17

Life timeline for people born in 1973 🗓️

Key milestones by age, year by year.

  1. Born
    1973Age 0
  2. Starts elementary school
    1980Age 6-7 · elementary

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

  3. Starts middle school
    1986Age 12-13 · middle school
  4. Can take a part-time job
    1988Age 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
    1989Age 15-16 · high school
  6. Gets a resident registration card
    1990Age 17

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

  7. Can get a driver's licence
    1991Age 18

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

  8. Can vote
    1991Age 18

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

  9. Can buy alcohol and tobacco
    1992Year 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
    1992Age 19

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

  11. Military service examination
    1992Year age 19

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

  12. Statutory retirement ageUpcoming
    2033Age 60

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

  13. National Pension startsUpcoming
    2038Age 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: 1973

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

📰 What happened that year
  1. January 27🕊️ The United States, South Vietnam and the Viet Cong signed the Paris Peace Accords.
  2. June 12💵 The 10,000-won banknote was issued for the first time.
  3. June 23🏛️ President Park Chung-hee announced the June 23rd Declaration on peaceful unification and foreign policy.
  4. August 8🚨 Kim Dae-jung was kidnapped.
  5. August 20🏺 Cheonmachong, an ancient royal tomb, was excavated in Gyeongju.
  6. September 11🪖 A military coup led by Augusto Pinochet toppled Salvador Allende's government in Chile.
  7. October 2🌊 The Soyanggang Multipurpose Dam was completed.
  8. December 3⛽ The oil crisis forced TV stations to suspend morning programming.

Source: Wikipedia · retold from the record

1973 by the numbers

Population and other key statistics.

  • Births in 1973965,521
  • Registered residents in 2025878,065

91% of that year's babies are still here with us. ✨

  • Life expectancy at birth63.5 yrsMen 59.7 · Women 67.3Born in 2024: 83.7 yrs
  • Births per woman4.07Children per woman over a lifetimeIn 2025: 0.8
  • Sex ratio at birth104.6104.6 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 1973 ⭐

Yunjin KimActorNovember 7, 1973 · 52 years oldJeon Do-yeonActorFebruary 11, 1973 · 53 years oldJung Woo-sungActor, ModelMarch 20, 1973 · 53 years oldKim Sun-aActorOctober 1, 1973 · 53 years oldSong Yoon-ahActor, ModelJune 7, 1973 · 53 years oldYe Ji-wonActorFebruary 1, 1973 · 53 years oldYoon Sang-hyunSinger, ActorSeptember 21, 1973 · 53 years oldJung Hye-youngActorDecember 14, 1973 · 52 years old
Everyone born in 1973
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Frequently asked questions ❓

In 2026, someone born in 1973 is 53 if they've already had their birthday this year and 52 if they haven't. In Korean age they're 54, and their year age is 53.
Counting from 2026, a 52-year-old was born in 1973.
1973 is the year of the Black Ox. In the sexagenary cycle it's Gye-chuk (癸丑), and because the heavenly stem carries the element Water (水), the animal picks up the color Black. One catch: the tti turns over at ipchun, around February 4, so a birthday before that counts as the previous year's animal.
No. 1973 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 🌐