People walk through a traditional market in Ansan, Gyeonggi, on July 29. [JOONGANG ILBO]

People walk through a traditional market in Ansan, Gyeonggi, on July 29. [JOONGANG ILBO]

 
Korea counted 2.71 million people with a migrant background as of Nov. 1 last year, new government statistics showed Monday, meaning that about one in 20 residents fell into the category.
 
The Ministry of Data and Statistics said the migrant-background population rose by 134,000 people from a year earlier. Over the same period, Korea’s total population increased by 31,000, or 0.1 percent, to 51.8 million. The faster growth among migrant-background residents raised their share of the population by 0.3 percentage points to 5.2 percent.
 
The ministry defined people with a “migrant background” as those who immigrated themselves or have at least one parent who did. The ministry said this was the first time it had compiled statistics using that definition.
 
Foreign nationals totaled 2.04 million people, or 75.2 percent of the migrant-background population. Korean nationals, including second-generation immigrants, numbered 672,000, or 24.8 percent.
 

Workers harvest radishes in a radish field in Yeongam County, South Jeolla, on Dec. 4. [HWANG HEE-GYU]

Workers harvest radishes in a radish field in Yeongam County, South Jeolla, on Dec. 4. [HWANG HEE-GYU]

 
Among those with a migrant background, 2.22 million people — or 81.9 percent — were between the ages of 15 and 64, classifying them as part of the working age population.
 
People in their 30s were the largest cohort at 660,000, or 24.3 percent, followed by those in their 20s at 570,000, or 21 percent, and those in their 40s at 419,000, or 15.4 percent.
 
The number of people in their 20s rose by 42,000, or 8 percent, compared to the previous year. Children aged up to he age of 14 accounted for 344,000 people, or 12.7 percent, while those aged 65 and older totaled 148,000, or 5.5 percent.
 
“Compared to Korea’s total population, where 70 percent are of working age and 19.5 percent are older adults, the migrant-background population is relatively younger,” said Kim Seo-young, director of the census division at the Data Ministry. “The expansion of the employment permit system has contributed to this inflow of working-age foreigners.”
 
Regionally, 1.542 million people with migrant backgrounds — or 56.8 percent — were living in the greater Seoul area, where many industrial complexes and job opportunities are located.
 

Seasonal workers from Southeast Asia wait at Incheon International Airport to board buses on May 27. [NEWS1]

Seasonal workers from Southeast Asia wait at Incheon International Airport to board buses on May 27. [NEWS1]

 
By province or metropolitan city, Gyeonggi had the largest population at 887,000 people, or 32.7 percent, followed by Seoul with 475,000, or 17.5 percent, and Incheon with 180,000, or 6.6 percent.
 
There were 17 administrative districts where people with migrant backgrounds accounted for more than 10 percent of the total population. In particular, Yeongam County in South Jeolla had the highest share at 21.1 percent, and Eumseong County in North Chungcheong followed at 19.9 percent — meaning that in both areas, at least one in five residents had a migrant background.
 
The proportion of Korea’s population with a migrant background is expected to grow further.
 
The number will rise to 4.04 million people by 2042, accounting for 8.1 percent of the total population, according to a projection released in April last year by the Data Ministry.
 
Among the working-age population, one in 10 — or 11.1 percent — is projected to be from a migrant background.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY AHN HYO-SEONG [[email protected]]