No. of foreigners in S. Korea reaches 2.8 mln in Aug.

In August, the number of foreign nationals residing in South Korea spiked to 2.87 million, a 5.3% increase compared to the previous year, according to government data released on Saturday. At the end of August, long-term foreign residents numbered 2.25 million, while short-term residents, including tourists, amounted to 629,406.

Immigration data from the justice ministry revealed that Chinese nationals comprised the largest group, accounting for 34.6% or 995,562 individuals. Vietnamese nationals followed with 383,244, and Americans numbered 181,325. Despite an overall rise from 2.73 million in August 2025, the figure for August 2026 was lower than the 2.9 million recorded in July.

Of the 1.64 million registered foreign nationals in South Korea, 51.5% resided in the Seoul metropolitan area, while 21.3% were dispersed across the southeastern provinces of North and South Gyeongsang. The foreign population in the country has been on a steady rise since 2021, when it fell below the 2 million mark due to the COVID-19 pandemic.