Decrease of Over 14,000 Vehicles... One Car per 2.94 People
Gangnam, Songpa, Gangseo, Seocho, and Gangdong Account for 33%
Increase in Eco-Friendly Cars... Hybrids Make Up 25%
Imported Cars Make Up 25% of Passenger Vehicles... More Female and Elderly Owners
Last year, the number of registered vehicles in Seoul decreased by about 14,000. It was the only local government in the country to experience a decline for two consecutive years, which is attributed to a decrease in private car demand among young people and the expansion of public transportation infrastructure.
On the 3rd, Seoul City announced that the total number of registered vehicles in Seoul last year reached 3,176,933, down by 14,229 compared to the previous year. While the number of registered vehicles nationwide increased by 1.34%, Seoul saw a 0.45% decrease, making it the only metropolitan city or province to show a decline for two consecutive years.
The ratio of cars to population in Seoul is also among the lowest nationwide, with one car per 2.94 people (national average is one car per 1.95 people). This is analyzed to be influenced by the decrease in private car demand among young people, license surrender by the elderly, and Seoul’s convenient public transportation infrastructure.
Looking at the vehicle registration status by district, Gangnam-gu had the highest number with 254,871 vehicles, followed by ▲Songpa-gu (242,897 vehicles) ▲Gangseo-gu (203,720 vehicles) ▲Seocho-gu (177,348 vehicles) ▲Gangdong-gu (160,983 vehicles). The top five districts accounted for 32.73% of the total. Analyzing the population per registered vehicle, Gangnam-gu had one car per 2.19 people, Jung-gu and Seocho-gu each had one car per 2.3 people, Gwanak-gu had one car per 4.09 people, and Gangbuk-gu and Dongjak-gu had one car per 3.85 and 3.54 people, respectively.
Although the overall number of registered vehicles decreased, eco-friendly vehicles such as hybrid cars (25.24%), electric vehicles (14.99%), and hydrogen vehicles (2.74%) increased by 64,019 compared to the previous year, showing a continuous upward trend. Electric vehicles surpassed 83,000 last year, up from 72,000 in 2023, due to the expansion of infrastructure such as charging stations, and hybrid vehicles also exceeded 260,000 last year. On the other hand, diesel vehicles (-59,257), LPG vehicles (-2,317), and CNG vehicles (-662) decreased compared to the previous year, with diesel vehicles showing a steady decline since 2018.
Additionally, looking at all registered vehicles in Seoul last year, imported vehicles accounted for 21.78% of the total number of cars. For passenger cars alone, one out of every four (24.51%) was an imported car. The districts with the highest number of imported cars were Gangnam-gu (105,902 vehicles), Seocho-gu (67,287 vehicles), and Songpa-gu (63,222 vehicles). By gender, 63.13% of vehicle registrants were male and 22.83% female, with the proportion of female registrants steadily increasing. By age group, the number of registered vehicles decreased by 32,655 for those under 40, while it increased by 29,242 for those aged 50 and above.
Yeo Jang-kwon, Director of Transportation at Seoul City, said, "Seeing various changes such as the increase in eco-friendly vehicle registrations within a year and the rise in vehicle ownership among those aged 60 and above, it is analyzed that the flow of vehicle demand changes according to transportation policies and industrial factors. Based on this analysis of Seoul’s vehicle registration status, we will do our best to utilize it for vehicle demand management and the establishment of public transportation systems, and to promote transportation policies for citizens."
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