Overview
- Officials reported 2.72 million people with migrant backgrounds as of Nov. 1, 2024, equal to 5.2 percent of the population.
- The tally rose by about 134,000 from 2023, lifting their share by roughly 0.3 percentage point while the overall population grew 0.1 percent.
- Foreign nationals accounted for 75.2 percent (about 2.04 million) and Korean nationals for 24.8 percent (672,000), including 381,000 second-generation residents and 245,000 naturalized citizens.
- This group skews young, with 81.9 percent aged 15–64 and the largest cohorts in their 20s and 30s; children and youth totaled 738,000, up 7.9 percent year over year.
- About 57 percent reside in Greater Seoul, and 17 municipalities now have migrant-background shares above 10 percent, led by Yeongam County at 21.1 percent and Ansan at 16.1 percent.