Born in 1994

A closer look at your age if you were born in 1994.

    Your age
  • International age31 or 32
  • Korean age33
  • Year age32
  • Zodiac and cycle
  • tti (Korean zodiac animal)Blue Dog
  • Sexagenary cycleGap-sul (甲戌年)
  • Five element Wood (木)
  • Leap yearCommon year

Life timeline for people born in 1994 🗓️

Key milestones by age, year by year.

  1. Born
    1994Age 0
  2. Starts elementary school
    2001Age 6-7 · elementary

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

  3. Starts middle school
    2007Age 12-13 · middle school
  4. Can take a part-time job
    2009Age 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
    2010Age 15-16 · high school
  6. Gets a resident registration card
    2011Age 17

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

  7. Can get a driver's licence
    2012Age 18

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

  8. Can vote
    2012Age 18

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

  9. Can buy alcohol and tobacco
    2013Year 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
    2013Age 19

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

  11. Military service examination
    2013Year age 19

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

  12. Statutory retirement ageUpcoming
    2054Age 60

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

  13. National Pension startsUpcoming
    2059Age 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: 1994

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

📰 What happened that year
  1. March 10🔥 A fire broke out in an underground telecom duct in Jongno 5-ga, Seoul.
  2. April 5🎸 Kurt Cobain of the rock band Nirvana was found dead at his home.
  3. May 10🇿🇦 Nelson Mandela was sworn in as South Africa's first Black president.
  4. July 8🇰🇵 North Korean President Kim Il-sung died of a heart attack.
  5. July 17⚽ Brazil won its fourth World Cup title.
  6. September 21🚨 Police arrested the Jijonpa, the gang behind a string of murders.
  7. October 21🌉 The Seongsu Bridge in Seoul collapsed.
  8. December 7💥 A gas explosion tore through the Ahyeon-dong neighborhood of Seoul.
🎬 Films and TV from that year
TV drama "The Moon of Seoul"TV drama "Love in Your Arms"TV drama "The Last Match"TV drama "Feelings"Film "The Taebaek Mountains"Film "How to Top My Wife"

Source: Wikipedia · retold from the record

1994 by the numbers

Population and other key statistics.

  • Births in 1994721,185
  • Registered residents in 2025710,144

98% of that year's babies are still here with us. ✨

  • Life expectancy at birth73.5 yrsMen 69.3 · Women 77.7Born in 2024: 83.7 yrs
  • Births per woman1.66Children per woman over a lifetimeIn 2025: 0.8
  • Sex ratio at birth115.2115.2 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 1994 ⭐

Everyone born in 1994
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Frequently asked questions ❓

In 2026, someone born in 1994 is 32 if they've already had their birthday this year and 31 if they haven't. In Korean age they're 33, and their year age is 32.
Counting from 2026, a 31-year-old was born in 1994.
1994 is the year of the Blue Dog. In the sexagenary cycle it's Gap-sul (甲戌), and because the heavenly stem carries the element Wood (木), the animal picks up the color Blue. One catch: the tti turns over at ipchun, around February 4, so a birthday before that counts as the previous year's animal.
No. 1994 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 🌐