A water park in southern Seoul bustles with people amid the heat, Monday. Yonhap
Korea's population slightly increased in 2025 from a year earlier despite low birth rates, driven by a rise in immigration, data showed Tuesday, with the share of foreigners reaching a record high.
The total population of Asia's fourth-largest economy came to 51.82 million in 2025, up 0.02 percent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics.
The number of Korean nationals fell 0.1 percent over the period to 49.71 million, accounting for 95.9 percent of the total population.
The census showed the number of foreigners in the country, on the other hand, rose 3.2 percent to 2.11 million, accounting for a record 4.1 percent of the population.
