Foreign resident population in Korea hits record 2.66 mil. as int'l student numbers surge
The number of foreign residents living in Korea rose for the fourth consecutive year in 2025 to reach a record high of 2.66 million, driven largely by a sharp increase in international students, government data showed Wednesday. According to the 2025 Foreign Resident Status report released by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, foreign residents totaled 2,662,967 as of Nov. 1 last year. The…
The Korea Times reports that the number of foreign residents in South Korea has reached a record high of 2.66 million as of November 2025, marking a 3.1% increase from the previous year. This surge is primarily attributed to a significant rise in the number of international students, according to data released by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.
Foreign residents now constitute 5.1% of the country's total population of 51.8 million, the highest proportion on record. The definition of foreign residents includes individuals residing in the country for over 90 days, holding foreign nationality, acquiring Korean citizenship, or being born in Korea to foreign-national or naturalized parents.
Among the categories, non-Korean nationals grew by 3.2% to 2.11 million, while naturalized citizens increased by 4.4% to 256,491.
Brief written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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