1 in 10 South Koreans in Their 20s and 30s Has a Migrant Background

Nearly one in 10 South Koreans in their 20s and 30s had a migrant background in 2025, government figures show. The share was 10 percent among people in their 20s and 9.5 percent among those in their 30s. Overall, the migrant-background population reached 2.81 million, or 5.4 percent of the country’s 51.82 million residents. The group includes foreign nationals, naturalized citizens, second-generation immigrants, and people with at least one migrant parent. Its growth helped offset a decline in other Korean residents.