Ranked First in Honam for Two Consecutive Years
"Realizing a Rural Area Where People Want to Live"
Gwangyang City in South Jeolla Province announced that it achieved the distinction of being ranked first in Honam for two consecutive years among urban-rural complex cities, and fourth nationwide, in the "2025 Rural Quality of Life Index" released by the Presidential Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Policy.
The "Rural Quality of Life Index" is a comprehensive indicator published annually since 2024. It evaluates five areas?economy, health and welfare, culture and community, environment and safety, and regional vitality?across 20 detailed indicators, to assess the quality of life of local residents and to identify ways to improve it.
This year's assessment covered a total of 139 local governments: 79 rural counties, 50 urban-rural complex cities, and 10 metropolitan urban-rural complex cities (with populations of 500,000 or more) nationwide.
In this evaluation, Gwangyang City demonstrated balanced achievements in key areas such as economy, culture and community, and regional vitality, and was recognized as a city with an exceptionally high quality of life among urban-rural complex cities with populations under 500,000.
In particular, the city ranked highly in per capita Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP), employment rate, life satisfaction, accessibility to cultural facilities, participation in social activities, total fertility rate, population growth rate, and youth population ratio. As a result, Gwangyang was evaluated as a city possessing both economic self-reliance and vitality, as well as sustainability in population retention and residential infrastructure.
These achievements are attributed to Gwangyang City's ongoing efforts to realize its vision of becoming a "city where people want to live for a lifetime." The city has focused on nurturing new industries such as secondary batteries and hydrogen, developing tourist attractions, expanding welfare services, and continuously implementing rural policies for balanced development between urban and rural areas.
Jung Yonggyun, Director of Planning and Budget, stated, "The various efforts and achievements of Gwangyang City to inspire and bring happiness to its citizens have once again led to positive results in this year's evaluation, following last year. This accomplishment officially proves that Gwangyang is a 'rural area where people want to live,' and we will continue to do our utmost to improve the quality of life in rural and fishing communities."
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