Korea's population slightly up in 2025 on immigration: census
A water park in southern Seoul bustles with people amid the heat, Monday. Yonhap
Korea's population slightly increased in 2025 from a year earlier despite low birth rates, driven by a rise in immigration, data showed Tuesday, with the share of foreigners reaching a record high.
The total population of Asia's fourth-largest economy came to 51.82 million in 2025, up 0.02 percent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics.
The number of Korean nationals fell 0.1 percent over the period to 49.71 million, accounting for 95.9 percent of the total population.
The census showed the number of foreigners in the country, on the other hand, rose 3.2 percent to 2.11 million, accounting for a record 4.1 percent of the population.
Korea's median age reached 46.8, up 5.7 years from 2015, the data also showed, reflecting the country's aging demographics.
Seniors aged 65 and older accounted for 20.7 percent of the population, up from 11.2 percent in 2010 and 16 percent in 2020.
The working-age population, aged 15 to 64, came to 35.87 million, making up 69.2 percent of the total, continuing its steady decline since 2018, according to the ministry.
The census report showed Korea had 23.25 million households in 2025, up 1.1 percent from a year earlier, with the average household size standing at 2.16, down 0.37 from 2015, reflecting declining birth rates and delayed marriages.
The number of single-person households came to 8.24 million, accounting for 36.6 percent of the total, while households with four or more members accounted for 15.2 percent.
This compares with 2010, when single-person households accounted for 23.9 percent of the total, while households with four or more members made up 30.5 percent.
The number of homes was estimated at 20.18 million in 2025, with those in the greater Seoul area accounting for 46.8 percent, up 1.4 percentage points from 10 years earlier, reflecting the tendency for Koreans to move to the capital region in search of jobs.
Apartment complexes, the most preferred type of housing in Korea, accounted for 65.8 percent of all homes in 2025, up from 62.9 percent in 2020.
The share of detached houses fell from 21 percent to 19 percent over the period, while that of multifamily houses declined from 14.9 percent to 14.1 percent.
The report showed that the population in the greater Seoul area came to 26.38 million, accounting for 50.9 percent of the total, up 0.7 percentage point from 2020.
The number of multicultural households came to 451,000 in 2025, up 2.8 percent from the previous year.