No. of farming households rebounds in 2025 as more people move to farms
A farmer uses plastic mulch over furrows as he prepares for the fall harvest in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, Aug. 19. Yonhap
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 farming, forestry and fishing households stood at 2.57 million, up 191,000 over the period. They accounted for 5 percent of the country's total population.
People aged 65 and older accounted for 51 percent of the farming and fishing population, up 9 percentage points from five years earlier, reflecting the aging of rural communities.
The average cultivated area per farming household came to 0.87 hectares, down 0.2 hectares from 2020 and the lowest level since the 0.82 hectares recorded in 1960.
"The decrease was attributable to the aging population," a statistics official said.
The report showed 12.4 percent of farming households earned more than 30 million won ($22,000) in sales from agriculture and livestock farming in 2025.
Among fishing households, the corresponding figure was 27.7 percent.