The number of foreign residents in the country has surpassed 2.73 million for the first time in history.
According to the Ministry of Justice's Immigration and Foreigners Policy Headquarters on the 27th, the number of foreign residents in the country as of the end of June this year was recorded at 2,732,797. This is an increase of 1.5% (40,068) from the previous month, marking a record high.
Of this, the number of registered foreigners and foreign nationals of Korean descent staying long-term is 1,559,975 and 552,419, respectively. The number of short-term foreign residents, including tourists, stands at 620,403.
The number of foreign residents in the country recorded a peak of over 2.52 million in 2019, then decreased to over 2.04 million in 2020 as COVID-19 spread, and further dropped to over 1.96 million in 2021 for two consecutive years. Thereafter, it recovered to over 2.51 million in 2023 and increased to over 2.65 million last year.
This year, after reaching around 2.72 million in March, it showed a downward trend for two consecutive months before recording an all-time high of approximately 2.73 million last month.
By nationality, Chinese nationals accounted for the largest proportion, with 972,176 individuals, making up 35.6% of the total. This is followed by Vietnam (341,153), the United States (196,664), Thailand (173,710), and Uzbekistan (98,457).
More than half of the registered foreigners reside in the metropolitan area. The Yeongnam region has 317,286 individuals (20.3%), the Chungcheong region 200,939 (12.9%), and the Honam region 136,990 (8.8%). When looking at age groups, the largest group is those aged 30-39 (25.7%), followed by 20-29 (23.1%), 40-49 (16.7%), over 60 (13.5%), 50-59 (12.3%), and under 19 (8.7%).
By residency status, ethnic Koreans (F-4) accounted for the largest number at 554,895. Those permitted to work in Korea through the Employment Permit System (E-9) totaled 341,453. This is followed by permanent residents (F-5) at 214,036, students (D-2) at 191,297, and tourists (B-2) at 171,063.