K-pop debut age statistics
As of 2026-10-19, Wikidata lists debut and birth dates for 751 members of 214 K-pop groups; their median debut age is 19 (range 12–37).
Members who debuted in 2005–2009 had a median debut age of 18, versus 19 in 2020–2024; the share without Korean citizenship went from 13% to 18%.
| Median debut age | 19 (12–37, n=751) |
|---|---|
| Female members | 18 (n=456) |
| Male members | 19 (n=292) |
| Members without Korean citizenship | 12% (89/744) |
By debut year
Years with 5+ debuting groups have their own page.
| Year | Groups | Members | Median age | Foreign |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3 | 5 | 21 | 20% |
| 2025 | 9 | 21 | 17 | 19% |
| 2024 | 15 | 35 | 17 | 32% |
| 2023 | 18 | 35 | 20 | 15% |
| 2022 | 18 | 57 | 19 | 16% |
| 2021 | 15 | 43 | 19 | 12% |
| 2020 | 17 | 43 | 19 | 19% |
| 2019 | 22 | 87 | 19 | 11% |
| 2018 | 20 | 93 | 19 | 14% |
| 2017 | 17 | 55 | 19 | 2% |
| 2016 | 15 | 96 | 19 | 15% |
| 2015 | 11 | 46 | 18 | 4% |
| 2014 | 6 | 22 | 19.5 | 0% |
| 2013 | 3 | 14 | 19.5 | 0% |
| 2012 | 10 | 38 | 18 | 5% |
| 2011 | 1 | 12 | 17 | 0% |
| 2010 | 5 | 11 | 18 | 0% |
| 2009 | 1 | 3 | — | — |
| 2008 | 1 | 7 | 16 | 0% |
| 2007 | 2 | 5 | 18 | 0% |
| 2006 | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| 2005 | 2 | 15 | 20 | 7% |
| 1999 | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| 1997 | 1 | 6 | 17 | 0% |
Five-year trend
| Period | Groups | Members | Median age | Foreign |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995–1999 | 2 | 7 | 17 | 0% |
| 2005–2009 | 7 | 31 | 18 | 13% |
| 2010–2014 | 25 | 97 | 18 | 2% |
| 2015–2019 | 85 | 377 | 19 | 11% |
| 2020–2024 | 83 | 213 | 19 | 18% |
| 2025–2026 | 12 | 26 | 18 | 19% |
Debut age by label
Based on Wikidata's record label field, labels with 10+ members only. Only 342 of 737 groups list a label; past labels and distributors are included.
| Label | Groups | Members | Median age | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SM Entertainment | 10 | 69 | 19 | 14–35 |
| Pledis Entertainment | 6 | 41 | 18 | 14–22 |
| Stone Music Entertainment | 5 | 38 | 19 | 14–27 |
| DSP Media | 5 | 33 | 17 | 13–24 |
| Starship Entertainment | 5 | 32 | 18 | 14–26 |
| Avex Trax | 3 | 31 | 19 | 15–22 |
| KT Genie Music | 3 | 23 | 18 | 14–23 |
| Warner Music Japan | 4 | 22 | 18 | 15–21 |
| Kakao M | 3 | 21 | 18 | 14–23 |
| Cube Entertainment | 4 | 20 | 18 | 14–25 |
| Big Hit Music | 3 | 18 | 17 | 15–20 |
| Geffen Records | 2 | 18 | 18 | 14–19 |
| IST Entertainment | 3 | 18 | 18 | 14–21 |
| RCA Records | 2 | 17 | 18 | 16–20 |
| FNC Entertainment | 2 | 15 | 18 | 16–22 |
| JYP Entertainment | 4 | 15 | 18 | 15–24 |
| Columbia Records | 2 | 14 | 17.5 | 14–20 |
| Hybe | 1 | 13 | 18 | 16–19 |
| C9 Entertainment | 2 | 13 | 20 | 17–21 |
| Capitol Records | 2 | 13 | 18 | 16–20 |
| Label SJ | 1 | 13 | 19 | 18–22 |
| Belift Lab | 2 | 12 | 17.5 | 14–20 |
| EMI Records Japan | 1 | 12 | 17.5 | 14–23 |
| Happy Face Entertainment | 2 | 12 | 19.5 | 17–22 |
| WM Entertainment | 3 | 12 | 19 | 15–25 |
| Source Music | 2 | 12 | 17.5 | 15–24 |
| Republic Records | 2 | 12 | 17 | 15–19 |
| King Records | 2 | 11 | 18 | 16–20 |
| Yuehua Entertainment | 2 | 11 | 20 | 18–24 |
| MBK Entertainment | 1 | 10 | 18.5 | 16–24 |
| TS Entertainment | 2 | 10 | 17 | 15–21 |
Method and exclusions
- Based on Wikidata; may be incomplete. Counts the 737 music groups tagged with the K-pop genre on Wikidata (CC0, pulled 2026-10-19) and their members. Groups and members missing from Wikidata or without data are left out.
- Debut date is the group's start of activity (P2031), or its founding date (P571). Members who joined later use their join date (P580). Debut age is full years on the debut date.
- Excluded: records with no birth or debut date or only a year, and debut ages under 10 or over 40. Medians and ranges need at least 5 members.
- 751 of 2307 member records counted (excluded: birth date missing or year-only 93, debut date missing or year-only 1462, out of range 1).
- Individual birth dates are not published; only counts, medians and ranges.
Aggregate data (CSV, CC0): /data/debut-stats.csv