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Born in 2003

A closer look at your age if you were born in 2003.

    Your age
  • International age22 or 23
  • Korean age24
  • Year age23
    • Zodiac and cycle
  • tti (Korean zodiac animal)Black Goat
  • Sexagenary cycleGye-mi (癸未年)
  • Five element Water (水)
  • Leap yearCommon year
Other Goat years
1967age 58-591979age 46-471991age 34-352015age 10-11

Life timeline for people born in 2003 🗓️

Key milestones by age, year by year.

  1. Born
    2003Age 0
  2. Starts elementary school
    2010Age 6-7 · elementary

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

  3. Starts middle school
    2016Age 12-13 · middle school
  4. Can take a part-time job
    2018Age 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
    2019Age 15-16 · high school
  6. Gets a resident registration card
    2020Age 17

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

  7. Can get a driver's licence
    2021Age 18

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

  8. Can vote
    2021Age 18

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

  9. Can buy alcohol and tobacco
    2022Year 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
    2022Age 19

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

  11. Military service examination
    2022Year age 19

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

  12. Statutory retirement ageUpcoming
    2063Age 60

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

  13. National Pension startsUpcoming
    2068Age 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: 2003

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

📰 What happened that year
  1. February 18🚨 The Daegu subway fire killed 192 people and injured 151.
  2. February 25🏛️ Roh Moo-hyun began his term as South Korea's 16th president.
  3. March 19💥 The United States invaded Iraq.
  4. April 28🎵 Apple launched the iTunes Store.
  5. August 29🗓️ The National Assembly passed an amendment to the labor law establishing a five-day workweek.
  6. September 12🌀 Typhoon Maemi slammed into South Korea.
  7. November 11🏛️ The Uri Party was founded.
  8. December 13🪖 Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein was captured.
🎬 Films and TV from that year
TV drama "Jewel in the Palace"TV drama "All In"TV drama "Stairway to Heaven"Film "Memories of Murder"Film "Oldboy"Film "Silmido"

Source: Wikipedia · retold from the record

2003 by the numbers

Population and other key statistics.

  • Births in 2003495,036
  • Registered residents in 2025490,790

99% of that year's babies are still here with us. ✨

  • Life expectancy at birth77.3 yrsMen 73.8 · Women 80.8Born in 2024: 83.7 yrs
  • Births per woman1.19Children per woman over a lifetimeIn 2025: 0.8
  • Sex ratio at birth108.6108.6 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 2003 ⭐

Park Ji-huActorNovember 7, 2003 · 22 years oldAn Yu-jinIVE · Singer, ModelSeptember 1, 2003 · 23 years oldShin Yu-naITZY · Singer, ModelDecember 9, 2003 · 22 years oldKazuha NakamuraLe Sserafim · Singer, DancerAugust 9, 2003 · 23 years oldTang Jun-sangActorAugust 13, 2003 · 23 years oldSeunghanSingerOctober 2, 2003 · 23 years oldJeong Youn-seokActorApril 30, 2003 · 23 years oldKim Do-ahFanatics · SingerDecember 4, 2003 · 22 years old
Everyone born in 2003
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Frequently asked questions ❓

In 2026, someone born in 2003 is 23 if they've already had their birthday this year and 22 if they haven't. In Korean age they're 24, and their year age is 23.
Counting from 2026, a 22-year-old was born in 2003.
2003 is the year of the Black Goat. In the sexagenary cycle it's Gye-mi (癸未), 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. 2003 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 🌐