Expat population rises to record 2.26M, 4.4% of nation's total
The number of foreign residents last year reached a record-high 2.26 million and comprised 4.4% of the national population, the highest in the country's history. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety on Nov. 8 released a report on the status of foreign residents as reported by local governments that analyzed data from Statistics Korea's population and housing census. The results found that the number of foreign residents as of Nov. 1 last year was 2,258,248, up 5.8% or 123,679 from that in 2021 and the highest since the government began compiling the figure in 2006. Expats refer to foreign residents who stay in the country for more than 90 days, naturalized citizens and their children. In 2019, the number of such residents rose to 2.22 million but started to slowly decrease from 2020 before rising again last year for the first time in three years. The ministry said the expat decline due to COVID-19 ceased to make way for a sharp rebound. The number of international students i