The number of foreign residents in South Korea has reached a record high, surpassing 1.56 million last year, according to new government data. Over half of migrant workers earned a monthly average of between 2 million and 3 million won ($1,400-$2,100)
The data, published on March 18 by Statistics Korea and the Ministry of Justice, provides details of the demographics, employment trends, and income levels of foreign nationals residing in Korea.
As of the end of 2024, foreign residents aged 15 and older stood at an all-time high of 1.561 million, up 9.1% (130,000) from the previous year, marking the sharpest rise since 2012.
Men accounted for 57.8% of foreign residents, and women made up the remaining 42.2%. Most men came to Korea for employment, while women primarily came for marriage or education.
y visa type, men dominate the E-9 non-professional employment vis (90.9%), E-5 specialty occupation (71.8%), and work and visit visa for ethnic Koreans with foreign nationalities (57.3%). Women account for the bulk of marriage migrants (79.6%) and student visa holders (53.3%).
The employment rate among foreign residents was 64.7%, with the largest share working in mining and manufacturing (45.6%), followed by wholesale/retail and accommodation/food services (18.9%), business/personal/public services (14.2%), and construction (10.6%).
More than half of foreign wage earners, or 51.2%, fell within the 2 million to 3 million won monthly salary bracket. Another 37.1% earned more than 3 million won, while the 1 million to 2 million salary bracket accounted for 8.4%, and below 1 million made up 3.3%.
Those earning over 3 million won primarily comprised permanent residents (55.2%) and overseas Koreans (46.1%). The lowest income bracket, those earning less than 1 million won or between 1 million and 2 million won, were mostly international students.
The majority of South Korea’s foreign residents were from Asia, with other Asian nationalities comprising 35.8%, followed by ethnic Koreans from China (31.6%), Vietnamese (15.0%), and Chinese nationals (8.6%). When including residents from Uzbekistan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Mongolia, and Cambodia, Asians made up 91% of Korea’s foreign population.
Data showed that 59% of all foreign residents lived in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, which includes the capital city Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, and Incheon. The average happiness level of the foreign residents was 4.3 points on a five-point scale.
