South Korea's population stagnates despite number of foreign residents topping 2 million
SEOUL: South Korea's population showed almost no growth in 2024, as an increase in foreign residents was offset by a continued decline in the number of Korean nationals, according to government data released on Tuesday (July 29).
The data also highlighted the country's aging population, with nearly one in five South Koreans now aged 65 or older.
In its annual census data, Statistics Korea reported that the total population reached 51.8 million as of Nov 1, 2024. This was an increase of just 31,000 from the previous year, or 0.1 per cent.
The population had previously declined for two straight years in 2021 and 2022, before rebounding in 2023. However, the growth in 2024 slowed from the previous year's 0.2 per cent.
The slowdown came as the number of South Korean nationals fell by 77,000, or 0.2 per cent, while the foreign population increased by 108,000, or 5.6 per cent. The Korean national population has now decreased for four consecutive years since 2021.
Out of the total population, 49.76 million were Korean nationals, making up 96.1 per cent. Foreigners accounted for 2.04 million, or 3.9 per cent, marking the first time the number of foreign residents surpassed 2 million.
The foreign population had declined in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic but began rising again in 2022. The recent increase is partly the result of an expanded employment permit system and efforts to attract international students.
Among foreign residents, Korean-Chinese made up the largest group at 538,000, or 26.3 per cent.
Vietnamese residents saw the largest increase from the previous year, rising by 38,000, followed by Myanmar with 12,000 and Nepal with 10,000.
When looking into the data by age groups, the overall working-age population, defined as those aged 15 to 64, fell by 283,000 to 36.26 million.
The number of children aged 0 to 14 also dropped by 199,000 to 5.42 million.
In contrast, the population aged 65 and older rose by 513,000 to 10.12 million, passing the 10 million mark for the first time.
This resulted in proportion of seniors to increase, rising from 18.6 per cent to 19.5 per cent. - The Korea Herald/ANN
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
Chinese EV maker marks 10 years in Europe
MUNICH, Germany, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer NIO commemorated its 10th anniversary in Europe on Monday, underscoring a decade of technological advancement, infrastructure development, and strategic regional partnerships as it strengthens its presence in the European mobility sector. The company, which established its European headquarters and global design center in the Munich region, now operates 60 battery swap stations across Europe. It also runs 20 "NIO Houses" in Europe, brand experience spaces that combine showrooms, lounges and customer services. Globally, it manages nearly 3,500 fully automated battery swap sites. Bavarian Deputy Minister President Hubert Aiwanger praised the company's innovation and long-term investment in the region. "We welcome companies that bring high-quality products and create local value," Aiwanger said. "The best results come from fair competition." He added that Germany should focus on strengthening its industrial competitiveness through reform, innovation and collaboration. Kurt Kapp, head of the Munich Economic Development Department, described Nio as a "flagship pioneer" among Chinese companies operating in the area. "From the start, it has exemplified how Chinese and European corporate cultures can integrate successfully," he said. NIO's European journey began in 2015 with the launch of its Global Design Center in Munich. Its full-scale market rollout, including vehicle sales, user support, and battery swap infrastructure, was initiated in 2021, starting in Norway and later expanding to Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden. Zhang Hui, vice president of NIO Europe, reaffirmed the company's commitment to the region, saying that NIO's German base remains a central hub for its global innovation efforts.
The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
German minister: EU must become stronger in Trump tariff talks
Containers are stacked, after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on Saturday to impose a 30% tariff on imports from Mexico and the European Union starting on August 1, in the harbour of Duisburg, Germany, July 14, 2025. REUTERS/Thilo Schmuelgen WASHINGTON (Reuters) -German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said the European Union had been too weak during trade negotiations with the United States and it should become stronger, as much still needed to be clarified on the deal the two sides struck last month. "Overall, as Europeans, we must become stronger," Klingbeil said in Washington ahead of a meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. "Then we can also stand up to the U.S. with more self-confidence. Not against the U.S., but in dialogue with the U.S." Klingbeil said there needed to be a quick solution to the trade conflict with the U.S. as companies needed planning certainty. "Even though I am not the one negotiating today — that is the task of the European Commission — a close line of communication between me and Scott Bessent can help clarify things," he said, emphasizing the importance of the Transatlantic relationship. Apart from tariffs, Klingbeil and Bessent will discuss how to deal with cheap Chinese goods that are flooding the markets in both the U.S. and Europe, as well as the G20 presidency that the U.S. will take at the end of the year. "I believe it is important that we, from the German side, keep sending a clear signal: We want to work closely with the American government, we seek dialogue, we do not shy away from difficult topics and are looking at how we can solve problems together," Klingbeil said. The EU's trade deal with Trump in July was greeted with a mix of relief and anger, with tariffs set at 15% for most products but negotiations continuing for certain sectors, including steel and aluminium, which carry tariffs of 50%. Klingbeil would advocate for a quota system on steel exports to be included in the trade deal, he told reporters. (Reporting by Maria Martinez; Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Alex Richardson)
New Straits Times
6 hours ago
- New Straits Times
China racing to become world No. 1 AI player
Beyond dancing robots and eager-to-help digital avatars, Shanghai's World AI Conference (WAIC) saw China stake its claim to global artificial intelligence leadership and frame itself as a clear alternative to the United States. Assumptions that the US was far ahead in the fast-moving field were upended this year when Chinese start-up DeepSeek unveiled a chatbot that matched top American systems for an apparent fraction of the cost. With AI now at the forefront of the superpowers' tech race, the WAIC that ended on Tuesday saw China set out its case to take charge on shaping its global governance, too. China, the US and other major economies are "engaged in a marathon at Formula One speed", said Steven Hai, assistant professor of tech innovation at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. "Which country will attain the upper hand can only be assessed dynamically over the course of development." China and the US dominate the AI sector — only 10 to 15 per cent of models developed in recent years were built without either's participation, according to Epoch AI, a non-profit research institute. While US companies like Google and OpenAI are still industryl e a d i n g , t h e i n s t i t u t e labelled 78 per cent of Chinese models "state- of-the-art" co mpared with 70 per cent of models built with American participation. B eijing's stated aim is to become the world's leading AI "in novation centre" by 2030. "Now China is neck-and-neck with the United States in terms of core tech, that play (for global leadership) is more relevant than ever," said Tom Nunlist, associate director for tech and data policy at Trivium China. "With a solid AI offering and the US turning inwards, the question is will Beijing's vision gain greater global traction?" In May, Microsoft's Brad Smith told the US Senate that "the number-one factor" in the tech race "is whose technology ismost broadly adopted in the rest of the world". China's offer is technical and economical. "One of the biggest differences (with the US sector) is that most of the leading models in China... are open-weight and open-source," former Google CEO Eric Schmidt told an audience at the WAIC. That means they can be adapted by other countries to fit their own needs, said George Chen, partner at Washington-based policy consultancy The Asia Group. "We already see some countries like Mongolia, Kazakhstan, even Pakistan, are trying to adopt the DeepSeek model to build their own," he said. "China has a chance to win in the aspect of sovereign AI to export its model to those countries." The comparative low cost of Chinese technology — s oftware but also hardware, for example through firms like Huawei — will be a big factor, especially for developing countries, Chen added. On Monday another Chinese start-up, Zhipu, announced its new AI model — also open-source — would cost less than DeepSeek to use. In June, OpenAI accused Zhipu of having close ties with Chinese authorities and noted that it was working with governments and state-owned firms across Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. "The goal is to lock Chinese systems and standards into emerging markets before US or European rivals can," it said. Washington has moved to protect its lead in AI, expanding efforts to curb exports of state-of-the-art chips to China in recent years. "While limiting China's share of the global AI hardware market, (these measures) have accelerated indigenous innovation and led Chinese firms to exploit regulatory loopholes," said assistant professor Hai, referring to "ri fe" smuggling and circumvention. Other challenges to homegrown firms include the closed nature of the Chinese Internet, and "g eneral issues of trust when it comes to using Chinese tech", Trivium's Nunlist said. At the WAIC, China sought to present itself as a responsible p ower. Premier Li Qiang emphasised the risks of AI and pledged to share technology with other nations, especially developing ones. His remarks contrasted sharply with US President Donald T ru mp's aggressive low-regulation "AI Action Plan" launche d just days before and explicitly aimed at cementing US dominance in the field. China released its own action plan at the WAIC, following a meeting attended by delegates from dozens of countries. Li also announced the establishment of a China-led organisation for international AI cooperation.
