Nearly 4 out of 10 Koreans own land: data

A view of apartment complexes is seen from Seoul Sky Observatory in Seoul. Yonhap
Nearly four out of 10 individuals in Korea were registered land owners as of last year, with the ownership rate highest among those in their 60s, government data showed Friday.
According to the data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, 19.56 million people, or 38.4 percent of the country's registered population of 51.22 million, owned land as of the end of 2024.
The tally represents an increase of 620,000 from the previous year.
By age group, 30.2 percent of people in their 60s owned land, followed by those in their 50s at 21.2 percent and 70s at 20.8 percent, according to the data.
Men made up 54.5 percent of all landowners, while women accounted for 45.5 percent.
Compared to 2006, when the government started compiling relevant data, the size of land owned by individuals dropped 4.7 percent, while that owned by non-corporate entities, such as religious groups, increased 4.4 percent. The total area of land owned by corporations jumped 35.6 percent over the cited period.
The data also showed that 15.3 million households, or 63.4 percent of the total 24.12 million households here, owned land as of end-2024, marking the first time household land ownership exceeded 15 million.