MigrantoMigration trends in South Korea
Asia
South Korea loses more people than it takes in: 2M emigrants against 1.6M immigrants. Net balance −411.5K — 1% of the country's population
51.8M
Population
1.6M
Immigrants
2M
Emigrants
−411.5K
Outflow
1 in 32 residents of South Korea was born abroad — and 1 in 26 people born in South Korea lives abroad
#39 in the world by net migration loss
Top corridors
The largest migration flows in South Korea
Where people come from
Key moments
How migration has changed since 1990
1990
18.5K immigrants · 1.7M emigrants
1995
- A surge of arrivals — the foreign-born population jumped 185%
2000
- The foreign-born population passed 100K residents
2010
- A surge of arrivals — the foreign-born population jumped 138%
2015
- Surge of immigrants from China — 366K new arrivals
- The foreign-born population passed 1M residents
2020
- Surge of immigrants from Thailand — 97.2K new arrivals
Today
- Since 1990: 1.6M more foreign-born residents and 286K more emigrants
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
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