Foreign Population in South Korea Hits All-Time High in 2024
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by Woosung Dan Song
June 20th, 2025
South Korea is seeing a record number of foreign residents, with 4.8% of the population now made up of people from other countries, according to new government data.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that as of November 1, 2023, there were 954,245 foreign residents in South Korea who had stayed in the country for more than three months. This is an increase of 200,000 people (up 8.9%) compared to the previous year.
This is the highest number recorded since 2006, when the country first began tracking foreign residency data. It also marks the second year in a row that the number of foreign residents has reached a new record, following 922,226 in 2022.
Foreign residents now make up 4.8% of South Korea’s total population of 51.77 million. If compared with the populations of South Korea’s 17 main regions, the number of foreign residents would rank between Gyeongbuk (6th largest) and Daegu (7th largest), showing just how large this group has become.
More Foreign Workers and Citizens
One major factor behind this rise is the increase in foreign workers. In 2023, the number of foreign laborers grew by 67,000 (up 16.6%), contributing to the rise in the overall foreign resident population.
Other details from the report include:
518,041 foreign nationals living in Korea without citizenship (up 10.4%)
468,157 foreign residents who have acquired Korean citizenship (up 4.8%)
98,862 children born in Korea to foreign residents (up 2.8%)
Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min shared the findings, which were based on data from the Statistics Korea Population and Housing Census.
These numbers reflect South Korea's increasing diversity and growing need for foreign workers and residents as the country faces challenges like an aging population and workforce shortages.
Sources of the Data and Information:
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