Total Building Floor Area Increased by 60.04 Million Square Meters Last Year...Equivalent to 8,400 Soccer Fields

Status of Buildings Nationwide as of the End of 2025, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
Residential Buildings Account for the Largest Share at 46%
Followed by Commercial and Industrial Buildings

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on September 30 that, as of the end of last year, the total number of buildings nationwide stood at 7,438,642, marking an increase of 17,039 buildings compared to the previous year.

In terms of total floor area, buildings nationwide measured 4,375,030,000 square meters, up by 60,042,000 square meters over the same period. This increase is equivalent to the size of approximately 8,409 soccer fields. By region, the Seoul metropolitan area saw an increase of 2,272 buildings and 32,364,000 square meters, while provincial regions recorded a rise of 14,767 buildings and 27,678,000 square meters.

By usage, the number of residential buildings decreased by 10, but the total floor area increased by 28,343,000 square meters. The number of commercial buildings increased by 15, with their floor area expanding by 9,361,000 square meters. Industrial buildings added 8,055,000 square meters in floor area, while educational and social buildings declined by 348,000 square meters. Other categories, such as livestock facilities, greenhouses, and public offices, collectively increased by 14,630,000 square meters in total floor area.

In terms of total floor area, residential buildings accounted for the largest share at 46.1%, followed by commercial (22.0%), industrial (11.1%), and educational and social buildings (8.7%). Year-on-year increases were notable for industrial buildings at 1.7% and residential buildings at 1.4%.

Yongsan Semiconductor Cluster General Industrial Complex Construction Site, Wonsam-myeon, Cheoin-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do. Photo by Yonhap News

The ministry explained, "Over the past ten years, the average annual growth rate in the number of buildings has been 0.6%, while the average annual growth rate of total floor area has been 2.3%. This indicates an increase in the construction of larger-sized buildings."

Among residential structures, apartments accounted for the largest share of floor area at 65.3%, followed by detached houses (16.5%), multi-family housing (8.5%), townhouse-style multi-unit dwellings (6.6%), and row houses (2.3%). Within commercial buildings, ‘Type 2 neighborhood living facilities’ made up the largest proportion at 31.7%, followed by ‘Type 1 neighborhood living facilities’ (25.8%), office buildings (20.5%), and retail facilities (6.9%). Last year, a total of 44,164 buildings were dismantled, accounting for 9,362,000 square meters. The proportion of buildings over 30 years old rose to 46.3%, up by 1.9 percentage points from the previous year.

Meanwhile, the permitted construction area last year was 114,821,000 square meters, down 8.4% from the previous year. Construction starts dropped 9.6% year-on-year to 82,354,000 square meters, while completed floor area fell by 15.4% to 100,036,000 square meters.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.