Photo credit; Asia News Network
Seoul has consistently seen more people in their 20s and 30s move in than relocate to other regions over the past 24 years, while the overall decline in the number of people leaving the capital has slowed.
The Korea Times reports that the Seoul Metropolitan Government released the data on Thursday, based on a comprehensive analysis of population movement into and out of the capital from 2001 to 2024, including migration flows, reasons for relocation and age-specific mobility patterns.
The data shows that Seoul continues to experience a net population outflow, with more people leaving the city than moving in. Still, the scale of the outflow has narrowed: In 2024, the city’s net loss fell to 44,692, less than half the 113,949 recorded in 2001.
Among young adults, the trend has reversed. Since 2019, Seoul has attracted more residents in their 20s and 30s than it has lost. This age group saw a net inflow of about 19,000 in 2019 and has continued to record annual gains, with the sole exception of 2021.
Employment has emerged as a key factor driving young people to move to Seoul.
Among those relocating to Seoul from neighbouring Gyeonggi Province, the share citing jobs as their main reason for moving rose from 24.2 per cent in 2013 to 30.6 per cent in 2024. Over the same period, the share attributing housing as a factor fell sharply from 32.5% to 20.5%.
The shift was particularly pronounced among people in their 20s and 30s, with 39.2 per cent citing employment as their reason for moving from Gyeonggi Province to Seoul i8n 2024, up from 29.8 per cent in 2013.
However, the scale of net inflows of young adults has begun to slow. After peaking at about 26,000 in 2022, it fell to roughly 23,000 and around 10,000 in 2024, as housing costs have increasingly weighed on migration decisions.
In addition, migration into Seoul has increasingly shifted toward individual moves. In 2024, single-person relocations accounted for 79.8 per cent of all moves into the city, up from 57,7 per cent in 2001.
Young adults dominated these single-person moves, with those aged 19 to 39 accounting for 68.8 per cent. Employment was cited as the most common reason for relocation, accounting for 36.5 per cent, followed by family-related reasons at 22.7 per cent.
