Foreign Residents Top 2.66 Million, an "All-Time High," Accounting for 5.1% of the Total Population

Up 79,341 (3.1%), marking four consecutive years of growth
55.9% live in the Seoul metropolitan area; 154 cities, counties and districts have concentrated foreign resident populations

The number of foreign residents living in South Korea has surpassed 2.66 million, reaching an all-time high. Their share of the total population also exceeded 5% for the first time.

Foreign students prepare food at the "2025 First-Semester Festival for International Students and Faculty" held at Democracy Plaza, Korea University, in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, on the 13th. 2025.5.13. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on October 28 its “2025 Status of Foreign Residents by Local Government,” based on an analysis of preliminary data from the Population and Housing Census compiled by the Ministry of Data and Statistics.

According to the findings, South Korea had a total of 2,662,967 foreign residents in 2025. That was an increase of 79,341 (3.1%) from 2,583,626 the previous year, marking the fourth consecutive year of growth. This was the highest figure since statistics were first compiled, accounting for 5.1% of the total population of 51,817,499, based on the Population and Housing Census.

By category, the number of people without Korean nationality rose by 66,313 (3.2%) to 2,109,057, accounting for 79.2% of foreign residents. The number of people who acquired Korean nationality increased by 10,913 (4.4%) to 256,491 (9.6%), while the number of children of foreign residents born in South Korea rose by 2,115 (0.7%) to 297,419 (11.2%).

Among those without Korean nationality, the number of international students saw the most notable growth. It surged by 41,092 (17.6%) from the previous year to 274,329. This was followed by foreign workers (514,043, up 2.3%) and marriage immigrants (194,017, up 1.1%). In contrast, the number of overseas Koreans with foreign nationality fell by 4,381 (1.1%) from the previous year to 411,314.

The number of foreign residents increased in all 17 provinces and metropolitan cities nationwide. The year-over-year growth rate was highest in Gyeongbuk (8.0%), followed by Gangwon (7.9%) and Jeonnam (7.8%), highlighting a clear upward trend in regions outside the Seoul metropolitan area.

By number of additional residents, Gyeonggi ranked first with 14,869, followed by Gyeongbuk with 10,282, Chungnam with 8,984, Gyeongnam with 7,553 and Jeonnam with 7,449. The largest foreign resident populations were recorded in Gyeonggi (859,943), Seoul (453,201), Chungnam (178,229), Incheon (174,824) and Gyeongnam (170,267). The Seoul metropolitan area had 1,487,968 foreign residents, accounting for 55.9% of the total.

By city, county and district, Ansan in Gyeonggi had the largest foreign resident population, at 109,544. The five areas with the largest populations were all in Gyeonggi: Hwaseong (83,657), Siheung (79,706), Suwon (74,161) and Bucheon (63,381) followed Ansan.

The number of “areas with concentrated foreign resident populations,” defined as areas with at least 10,000 foreign residents or where they account for at least 5% of the population, rose by 12 from the previous year to 154.

Jang Heonbeom, director general of local administration at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said, “The increase in foreign residents shows that local communities are becoming more diverse and dynamic. We will make active use of these statistics to develop tailored policies that help foreign residents settle securely in local communities and grow together with other residents.”

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