MigrantoSouth Korean Diaspora
2M South Koreans live abroad — the #39 largest diaspora in the world
Where emigrants go
The top 3 countries receive 80% of all emigrants
↑↓ — change vs 2020
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| USA | 1083174 |
| Japan | 393944 |
| Canada | 151409 |
| Australia | 114174 |
| China | 65073 |
| Vietnam | 48707 |
| New Zealand | 31878 |
| Thailand | 16518 |
| Sweden | 12163 |
| Brazil | 9395 |
| Mexico | 9104 |
| Denmark | 8936 |
| Norway | 8709 |
| Indonesia | 6527 |
| North Korea | 5574 |
| Argentina | 5368 |
| Hong Kong | 5214 |
| Taiwan | 4824 |
| Italy | 4692 |
| Belgium | 4534 |
| Philippines | 4520 |
| Malaysia | 3410 |
| Guam | 2996 |
| Paraguay | 2942 |
| Hungary | 2278 |
| Guatemala | 2113 |
| Mongolia | 2103 |
| Russia | 1762 |
| Czech Republic | 1596 |
| Northern Mariana Islands | 1458 |
| Peru | 1313 |
| Chile | 1190 |
| Luxembourg | 1136 |
| Kazakhstan | 1104 |
| Finland | 835 |
| Libya | 804 |
| Panama | 737 |
| South Africa | 686 |
| Slovakia | 662 |
| Colombia | 659 |
| Dominican Republic | 633 |
| Bolivia | 626 |
| Sri Lanka | 618 |
| Guinea | 394 |
| Costa Rica | 364 |
| Egypt | 352 |
| Ecuador | 317 |
| Bulgaria | 316 |
| American Samoa | 296 |
| Venezuela | 248 |
| Greece | 226 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 220 |
| Gabon | 208 |
| Brunei | 177 |
| Portugal | 164 |
| El Salvador | 131 |
| Estonia | 101 |
| Mauritania | 80 |
| Iceland | 74 |
| Faroe Islands | 70 |
| Honduras | 70 |
| Palau | 70 |
| Nicaragua | 64 |
| Papua New Guinea | 63 |
| Cambodia | 61 |
| Slovenia | 54 |
| Micronesia | 47 |
| Namibia | 37 |
| Bhutan | 34 |
| Latvia | 30 |
| Solomon Islands | 29 |
| Belarus | 27 |
| Croatia | 22 |
| Lithuania | 14 |
| Cyprus | 6 |
| Liechtenstein | 4 |
| Puerto Rico | 4 |
| Sierra Leone | 1 |
By destination region
North America is the leading destination region at 61%
1.2M
558.6K
151K
48.4K
35.3K
2.6K
6
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Interesting facts
Notable statistics about emigration from South Korea.
Vietnam is the fastest-growing major destination
Emigration to Vietnam has increased by 219% since 2015, rising from 15.3K to 48.7K in 9 years.
USA is the primary destination for emigrants
USA attracts 53% of all emigrants from South Korea, while the second-largest destination receives just 19%.
Top emigration destinations have shifted significantly since 1990
4 new countries have entered the top 20 destinations: Thailand, Mexico, Taiwan — Thailand rose from outside the top 20 to rank #8.
The share of emigrants going to Asia has declined since 1990
The share of emigrants going to Asia has shifted from 43.3% to 27.5% since 1990.
How emigration changed over time
Total emigrant population by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 1744465 |
| 1995 | 1812749 |
| 2000 | 1897540 |
| 2005 | 2001950 |
| 2010 | 2164782 |
| 2015 | 2162256 |
| 2020 | 2038995 |
| 2024 | 2030473 |
Top destinations over time
Emigration to the 5 largest destination countries
| Year | USA | Japan | Canada | Australia | China |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 858465 | 668326 | 30287 | 21362 | 60637 |
| 1995 | 912885 | 642133 | 45107 | 29158 | 71176 |
| 2000 | 970756 | 608398 | 66057 | 36381 | 84711 |
| 2005 | 1038088 | 569953 | 91740 | 51162 | 100830 |
| 2010 | 1128067 | 540208 | 126371 | 83946 | 118141 |
| 2015 | 1126824 | 521159 | 147072 | 106655 | 86238 |
| 2020 | 1091276 | 451485 | 139971 | 111668 | 60578 |
| 2024 | 1083174 | 393944 | 151409 | 114174 | 65073 |
Fastest-changing destinations
How emigration to each country has changed since the selected year
South Korea as an emigration source
Share of immigrants in each country who originate from South Korea
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
Frequently asked questions
Where do South Koreans move to?
Most South Koreans have moved to USA, Japan and Canada — these three countries account for about 80% of all South Koreans living abroad.
How many South Koreans live abroad?
Around 2M South Koreans live abroad, making it the #39-largest emigrant population in the world.
What share of the population of South Korea lives abroad?
About 4% of the population of South Korea lives abroad — that's 2M out of a total population of 51.8M.
How has emigration from South Korea changed over the past decade?
Over the past decade, the emigrant population from South Korea has fallen from 2.2M to 2M people, a decline of about 6%.
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