Registered Vehicles in Seoul Last Year 3.19 Million... The Only Decrease Nationwide

Seoul City announced on the 16th that an analysis of the cumulative number of vehicle registrations in 2023 showed a slight decrease in the total number of vehicle registrations compared to the previous year, while hybrid, electric, and hydrogen vehicles continued to increase, indicating a shift in automobile demand towards eco-friendly options.

Photo by Asia Economy DB

As of 2023, the number of registered vehicles in Seoul is 3,191,162, accounting for 12.3% of the nationwide total of 25,949,201 vehicles. While the total number of vehicles nationwide increased by 1.75% compared to the previous year, Seoul was the only metropolitan city to experience a decrease.

Looking at the status by district, Gangnam-gu has the highest number with 253,856 vehicles. The top five districts, including Gangnam-gu, Songpa-gu, and Gangseo-gu, account for 32.44% of the total vehicle registrations in Seoul. Among these, Gangnam-gu has the highest vehicle registration per capita with one vehicle per 2.15 people, while Gwanak-gu has the lowest with one vehicle per 4.07 people.

“Eco-friendly vehicles” increased by 54,120 units compared to the previous year, with hybrid vehicles (23.71%), electric vehicles (22.94%), and hydrogen vehicles (9.13%) continuously growing. On the other hand, diesel vehicles (-48,848 units), LPG vehicles (-11,732 units), and CNG vehicles (-477 units) decreased compared to the previous year, with diesel vehicles showing a continuous decline since 2018.

Among all registered vehicles in Seoul, foreign-made vehicles have steadily increased, accounting for 21.00% of the total number of vehicles, and foreign-made passenger cars make up 23.74% of all passenger cars.

The gender distribution of vehicle registrations is 63.07% male and 22.62% female, with the registration rate among women steadily increasing.

By age group, registrations increased by 1,334 vehicles in the “under 10” age group, while the “60 and over” age group saw a decrease of 35,794 vehicles. Despite citizens aged 60 and over accounting for 2,444,150 people, or 26% of Seoul’s population, this decline appears to reflect factors such as voluntary surrender of driver’s licenses by elderly drivers and a decrease in the proportion of elderly drivers.

Yoon Jong-jang, Director of the Seoul City Urban Transportation Office, stated, “Seeing various changes such as the increase in eco-friendly vehicle registrations within just one year, it is analyzed that automobile demand trends also change according to transportation policies and industrial factors.” He added, “Based on this analysis of Seoul’s vehicle registration status, we will utilize it for vehicle demand management and the establishment of public transportation systems, and do our best to promote transportation policies for citizens.”