Gyeonggi-do Population Surpasses 14 Million for the First Time... 26.6% of National Total

Gyeonggi Provincial Government Gwanggyo New Office Building

The population of Gyeonggi Province has surpassed 14 million.

Gyeonggi Province announced on the 22nd that as of the end of April this year, the total population, including 13,607,919 registered residents and 395,608 registered foreigners, was counted at 14,003,527. This accounts for 26.6% of the total domestic population (52,645,711). It also exceeds the population of Seoul (9.67 million) by 1.4 times. By region, the southern part of Gyeonggi has 10,384,604 people (74.2%), and the northern part has 3,618,923 people (25.8%).

The population of Gyeonggi Province surpassed 10 million at the end of December 2002, meaning that the population has increased by 4 million over 20 years and 4 months.

Gyeonggi Province surpassed Seoul’s population at the end of December 2003. At that time, Gyeonggi recorded 10,361,638 people, overtaking Seoul’s population of 10,276,968.

Compared to 1967, when the Gyeonggi Provincial Office, which was located in Seoul, moved to Suwon, the population has increased by 11 million over 56 years. At the end of 1967, the population of Gyeonggi Province was 3,070,797.

Looking at the population by city and county within the province, Suwon City has the largest population with 1,226,735 people. It is followed by Yongin City with 1,092,738 people and Goyang City with 1,089,934 people. The area with the smallest population is Yeoncheon County with 42,769 people, followed by Gapyeong County with 63,005 people and Gwacheon City with 79,133 people.

The population increase in Gyeonggi Province is analyzed to be more due to social increase from population movement rather than natural increase from births. In fact, from 2016 to 2022, the natural increase in Gyeonggi’s population was 158,402, while the social increase was about six times higher at 917,311.

Gyeonggi Province has also been shown to play a central role in South Korea in terms of industry and economy, as well as population.

The number of startup companies in Gyeonggi Province ranked 4th among OECD countries, following South Korea, France, and Turkey. The trade volume, combining exports and imports, ranked 21st among OECD countries as of 2021, and the Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) was $444.5 billion (as of 2021), ranking 23rd when compared with OECD countries and domestic GDP. This record is ahead of Norway (24th) and Israel (25th).

A Gyeonggi Province official stated, "With the era of 14 million population, Gyeonggi Province plans to implement various services and policies to improve the quality of life of Gyeonggi residents as a leading local government driving changes in welfare, economy, and other opportunities in Gyeonggi Province and South Korea."