foreigners-data

▲ Foreign tourists walk around the shopping district of Myeongdong in central Seoul on Sept. 20, 2026. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Sept. 26 (Yonhap) -- The number of foreign nationals in South Korea reached 2.87 million last month, up 5.3 percent from a year earlier, government data showed Saturday.

As of end-August, long-term foreign residents stood at 2.25 million, while those on short-term stays, including tourists, came to 629,406, according to immigration data from the justice ministry.

By nationality, Chinese nationals accounted for the largest share of 34.6 percent, or 995,562 people, followed by Vietnamese at 383,244 and Americans at 181,325.

While the total number of foreign nationals rose from 2.73 million in August 2025, last month's figure marked a decline from 2.9 million in July.

Among the 1.64 million registered foreign nationals in South Korea, 51.5 percent of them lived in the greater Seoul area, followed by 21.3 percent in the southeastern provinces of North and South Gyeongsang.

The number of foreigners has steadily risen since 2021 when the figure dropped below 2 million amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

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