Korean Nationals Decrease by 0.2% to 49.76 Million
Foreign Residents Rise by 5.6% to 2.04 Million
Single-Person Households Continue to Grow,
But Growth Rate Slows
Total of 14.52 Million Households When Including
One- and Two-Person Households
Following 2023, South Korea's total population continued to increase last year, reaching 51.81 million. While the number of Korean nationals is declining, the increase is attributed to the rising number of foreigners staying in the country for work or study purposes. Due to the aging trend, the population aged 65 and over surpassed 10 million for the first time since related statistics began to be compiled.
According to the "2024 Population and Housing Census Results (Registered Census Method)" released by Statistics Korea on July 29, as of November 1 of the previous year, the total population in South Korea stood at 51.81 million, an increase of 0.1% (30,000 people) compared to the previous year. The total population in 2023 (51.775 million) had increased for the first time in three years since 2020 (51.829 million), and with another rise last year, the population has grown for two consecutive years.
Breaking down the total population, Korean nationals accounted for 49.76 million, representing 96.1% of the total. This is a decrease of 0.2% (80,000 people) from the previous year. In contrast, foreigners made up 3.9% of the total, numbering 2.04 million, which is an increase of 5.6% (110,000 people). For the second year in a row, while the number of Korean nationals declined, the number of foreign workers and international students increased, resulting in a continued rise in the total foreign population.
Kim Seoyoung, Director of the Population Census Division at Statistics Korea, explained, "In 2023, the scale of the Employment Permit System was expanded and there was a quota target, so the number of low-skilled workers and seasonal laborers increased, leading to a significant rise in foreign workers." She also added, "With the implementation of regional specialized visas in 2023, many international students were recruited at the regional level, and this contributed to the increase in the foreign population."
The trend of population aging, with decreases in the youth population (ages 0-14) and the working-age population (ages 15-64) and an increase in the elderly population (age 65 and over), continued last year. The working-age population accounted for 36.26 million, or 70.0% of the total, and has been declining since 2018. In contrast, the elderly population surpassed 10 million for the first time, reaching 10.12 million (19.2%). The aging index, which represents the number of elderly people per 100 youths, rose by 15.7 points from the previous year to 186.7.
The population of the Seoul metropolitan area reached 26.31 million and continues to grow annually. While the population of the metropolitan area (50.8%) and the central region (14.0%) is increasing, the Yeongnam region (24.3%) and the Honam region (10.9%) are experiencing declines. By province and city, the population increased in six areas including Gyeonggi and Incheon, while it decreased in 11 areas including Seoul and Busan.
The total number of households last year was 23 million, an increase of 1.2% (270,000 households). General households increased by 1.0% (220,000 households) to 22.29 million, accounting for 96.9% of all households. Foreign households and group households (households where non-family members live together or in dormitories, etc.) accounted for 3.1% of the total, increasing by 7.3% (50,000 households) to 700,000. The average household size was 2.19 persons, a decrease of 0.03 persons from the previous year and 0.20 persons lower than five years ago.
Among general households, one-person households numbered 8.04 million, an increase of 2.8%. The proportion of one-person households has been rising, from 34.5% in 2022 to 35.5% in 2023 and 36.1% last year. However, the growth rate has slowed, recording a 2.8% increase last year. By age group, the proportions were highest among those in their 20s and younger (17.8%), followed by those in their 60s (17.6%) and 30s (17.4%). Including both one-person and two-person households, the total reached 14.52 million, accounting for 65.1% of all households.
Multicultural households increased by 5.7% (24,000 households) to 439,000, continuing an annual rise since 2016. By region, Gyeonggi (31.1%) and Seoul (17.8%) had the highest proportions. The population with disabilities was 2.61 million, with disabled individuals making up 5.2% of Korean nationals. By age group, the proportion of people with disabilities was highest among those aged 80 and over (22.5%), followed by those in their 70s (14.0%) and 60s (8.1%). There were 2.29 million households with at least one person with a disability.
The total number of housing units last year was 19.87 million, an increase of 1.7% (330,000 units). Among these, apartments increased by 2.7% (340,000 units) to 12.97 million, accounting for 65.3% of all housing units. Of the total housing stock, 46.7% (9.29 million units) was located in the metropolitan area.
There were 261,000 semi-basement units and 34,000 rooftop units, with 97.3% and 90.6% of these, respectively, located in the metropolitan area. In particular, semi-basement units were most common in Seoul (56.9%), followed by Gyeonggi (29.6%) and Incheon (10.8%). Rooftop units were most common in Seoul (69.5%), followed by Gyeonggi (20.4%) and Daejeon (2.4%).
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