The ratio of people with a migrant background living in South Korea increased in 2025 from a year earlier to 5.4 percent, data showed, with those in their 20s leading the overall gains.

The total migrant population came to 2.81 million in 2025, up from 2.71 million a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics. South Korea’s total population stood at 51.82 million.

The Data Ministry defines people with a migrant background as those who are immigrants themselves or who have at least one parent from overseas. The category includes foreign nationals, naturalized South Koreans and second-generation immigrants.

Foreign nationals accounted for 75.1 percent of the population with a migrant background, followed by second-generation immigrants at 14.1 percent. (Yonhap)


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