Where South Koreans move
2M South Koreans live abroad — #39 largest source of emigrants worldwide
Considering a move from South Korea? — See top destinations, regional flows, and how it's changed since 1990.
Where emigrants go
The top 3 countries receive 80% of all emigrants
↑↓ — change vs 2020
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| United States | 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 |
| Czechia | 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 Darussalam | 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
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.
United States is the primary destination for emigrants
United States 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 | United States | 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