"More Visitors Are Heading to Regional Areas"... May Living Population Hits 32.85 Million

Second-quarter monthly average reached 28.6 million... visitors surged amid spring travel and substitute holidays
Yangyang's visiting population was 17 times its registered population... average card spending per person was 125,000 won

The number of visitors to depopulation areas surged, bringing the living population in May to nearly 33 million, the highest level in the first half of this year.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Data and Statistics announced the findings in their "2026 Second-Quarter Living Population Estimates for Depopulation Areas." The living population combines the registered population and other residents, including foreign nationals, with the population staying in an area for at least three hours a day, at least once a month.

The survey found that the monthly average living population in depopulation areas in the second quarter of 2026 was about 28.6 million, up from 27.94 million in the same period a year earlier. By month, the figures were 26.68 million in April, 32.85 million in May, and 26.27 million in June.

May's living population was about 32.85 million, the highest in the first half of the year. Of that total, the stay population was about 27.99 million, or 5.8 times the registered population of about 4.86 million. The findings suggest that spring travel demand in April and May, combined with the substitute holiday in May, helped boost activity in the regions.

The regions with the largest year-over-year increases in their living populations were Yeongwol, Gangwon Province, in April and June, and Taean, South Chungcheong Province, in May. Yeongwol's population rose by about 100,000 in April, while Taean's increased by about 160,000 in May.

The ratio of the stay population to the registered population was highest in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, in April, and in Yangyang, Gangwon Province, in May and June. In particular, more than 17 times Yangyang's registered population visited the county in May, according to the analysis. In terms of the absolute size of the stay population, Gapyeong ranked first nationwide, recording about 720,000 to 990,000 people each month from April to June.

In terms of stay patterns, the average stay in the second quarter was 3.3 days, the average time spent in the area was 11.6 hours, and the average number of overnight stays was 3.8 days, all similar to the same period a year earlier. One-night stays made up the largest share of lodging patterns.

In addition, as of June, the repeat-visit rate - the share of visitors who had returned at least once in the previous two months - exceeded 50% in 14 areas, including Seo-gu in Busan; Nam-gu and Seo-gu in Daegu; Gimje in North Jeolla Province; and Uiseong in North Gyeongsang Province.

Spending by the stay population also increased, with average card spending per person reaching 125,000 won, up from the same period a year earlier. The stay population accounted for an average of 35.8% of total card spending by the living population during the quarter, rising to 38.0% in May.

Kim Min-jae, Vice Minister of the Interior and Safety, said, "We confirmed that the living population reached its highest level in the first half of the year, with people visiting and staying in depopulation areas and bringing them vitality." He added, "We will carefully review policy directions to ensure that the living population is actively leveraged to overcome the crisis of regional decline."

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