Photo credit: the Korea Times
The Ministry of Justice said it has released two new sets of nationally approved statistics tracking the regional movement and migration flows of foreign residents in Korea, with the data now available to the public for the first time.
The Korea Times reports that the two new databases – the Foreign Residents Regional Migration Statistics and the Foreign Residents’ Inflow and Outflow Statistics – were designated as nationally approved statistics in April following review by the National Data Agency.
Korea’s foreign resident population stood at approximately 2.778 million as of 2025, representing a 5.4 per cent of the total population.
The regional migration statistics complete quarterly data on foreign residents changing their registered addresses, drawn from relocation filings. The data is expected to help analyze shifts in the geographic distribution of foreign residents and movement patterns linked to industry, education and housing.
The inflow and outflow statistics use monthly data, defining new foreign resident registrations as “inflows” and departures following registration cancellations as “outflows.” The ministry said the figures will allow more accurate monitoring of changes in the foreign resident population, including long term residents of Korean heritage.
