South Korea’s residents with migrant backgrounds accounted for 5.4% of the population in 2025, as the group’s total rose to 2.81 million, Ministry of Data and Statistics figures showed.
The total was up from 2.71 million in 2024. South Korea’s population stood at 51.82 million in 2025.
Foreign nationals represented 75.1% of residents with a migrant background. Second-generation immigrants accounted for 14.1%, and the increase was greatest among people in their 20s, the ministry’s data showed.
The ministry’s category includes people who moved to South Korea and people with at least one parent from abroad. It covers foreign nationals, naturalized South Koreans and second-generation immigrants.
