South Korea’s population increased by just 12,000 to 51.82 million as of Nov. 1, 2025, with foreign residents accounting for the entire rise, the Ministry of Data and Statistics said Tuesday. The number of Korean nationals fell by 54,000 to 49.71 million, marking a fifth consecutive annual decline, while the foreign population rose by 66,000 to 2.11 million, or 4.1% of the total. Some 89.3% of foreign residents were of working age, compared with 68.4% of Korean nationals.

The working-age population, defined as those aged 15 to 64, declined by 393,000 to 35.87 million and fell below 70% of the