Long-Term Foreign Residents in South Korea Hit Record High of 2.5 Million

Seoul: The number of long-term foreign residents in South Korea reached an unprecedented figure of nearly 2.5 million last year, driven by significant increases in migrant workers and international students, as reported by the interior ministry on Thursday. This marks the highest count since such records began in 2006, underscoring the growing diversity of South Korea's population. According to Yonhap News Agency, data from Statistics Korea's population census revealed that 2,459,542 foreign residents resided in the country for at least three months as of November 1, 2023. This figure represents a notable increase from the previous year's 2.26 million, accounting for 4.8 percent of South Korea's total population of 51.77 million. The size of the foreign population draws comparisons with the populations of North Gyeongsang Province and Daegu. The breakdown of the figures indicates a 10.4 percent rise in foreign residents without Korean nationality, bringing the total to approximately 1.94 million. Additional ly, those with Korean nationality saw a 4.8 percent increase to 234,506. The number of children born to foreign residents in South Korea also rose by 2.8 percent, reaching 289,886. Notably, the ministry highlighted a 16.6 percent surge in migrant workers and an 8.9 percent rise in international students, totaling 67,111 and 16,932, respectively, compared to the previous year. Regionally, all provinces and metropolitan cities, except Seoul, experienced an increase of more than 7 percent in their foreign resident populations. Gyeonggi Province, encircling Seoul, recorded the largest foreign population at 809,801, followed by Seoul with 449,014 and Incheon with 160,859. Collectively, these areas account for 57.8 percent of the foreign resident population. Within Gyeonggi Province, Ansan boasts the highest number of foreign residents at 108,033, followed by Hwaseong, Siheung, Suwon, and Bucheon, with populations of 76,711, 74,653, 71,392, and 58,632, respectively.