No. of farming households rebounds in 2025 as more people move to farms
The number of farming households in Korea rose to 1.27 million in 2025, apparently as more people moved to farms, although the average cultivated area per household fell to its lowest level in 65 years. The figure, covering farming, forestry and fishing households, marked an increase of 210,000 from five years earlier, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics. The total population of…
In 2025, the number of farming households in South Korea increased to 1.27 million, as more individuals relocated to agricultural areas. However, the average cultivated land per household fell to its lowest point in 65 years, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics. This decline, amounting to 0.2 hectares, was primarily due to the aging population, with 51% of the farming and fishing population comprising individuals aged 65 and above.
This percentage represents a significant rise of 9 percentage points from five years prior, highlighting the growing concern over the rural aging crisis. Despite the decrease in cultivated land, 12.4% of farming households still generated over 30 million won in agricultural sales. The total farming, forestry, and fishing households stood at 2.57 million, accounting for 5% of the country's population.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
