Gyeongbuk Province Accounts for 19% of Nationwide Returning Farming Households, Ranked 'No.1 Nationwide' for 16 Consecutive Years

Rural Migration Households Total 39,229, Ranked 2nd Nationwide (12.3%)... One Step Up Compared to Previous Year

A booth at the Gyeongsangbuk-do Return-to-Farming and Rural Startup Expo.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Dong-wook] Gyeongsangbuk-do announced on the 28th that over the past year, returning farming households accounted for 18.7% of the national total (11,422 households, 16,181 people), maintaining the top position for 16 consecutive years since statistics began in 2004.

According to data released by Statistics Korea on the 25th, Gyeongbuk has consistently seen over 3,000 people returning to farming annually since 2013. This figure represents the scale of population inflow into rural areas at the township level within cities and counties.

The number of returning farming households in Gyeongbuk increased from 334 households in 2004 to triple digits at 1,112 households in 2010, reaching 2,136 households last year.

By city and province, Gyeongbuk leads with 2,136 returning farming households, ranking first for 16 consecutive years. It is followed by Jeonnam with 2,142 households, Gyeongnam with 1,315 households, and Jeonbuk with 1,315 households. Within the province, Uiseong-gun (173 people) and Sangju-si (171 people) ranked second and third nationwide. Among the top five basic local governments with the highest number of returning farmers by city and county nationwide, two are in Gyeongbuk.

Nationally, the age group of returning farming households is highest in their 50s at 33.2%, followed by those in their 60s at 25.9%, under 30s at 21.1%, and 40s at 13.4%. The influx of returning farmers is expected to bring new vitality to rural areas suffering from aging populations and low birth rates.

Gyeongbuk’s rural migration households have also steadily increased from 33,148 households in 2013 to 35,363 in 2015, and 39,229 in 2019. With an increase of 729 households from the previous year, it rose from third to second place among metropolitan local governments nationwide last year.

Compared to the nationwide decrease of 10,683 rural migration households from the previous year, this is a remarkable achievement, according to Gyeongbuk Province. The decline in rural migration nationwide was particularly evident in Gyeonggi and Gyeongnam regions, where the number of households decreased by 3,491 and 2,306 respectively compared to the previous year.

The main reason why Gyeongbuk has more returning farming households than other metropolitan local governments is attributed to the development of high-income crops such as fruit trees, facility vegetables, and livestock, which result in higher agricultural income. Additionally, Gyeongbuk boasts the largest number of mentors (35,341 people) and leading farms (175,000 households) nationwide, creating a virtuous cycle that continues to increase returning farmers, which is a source of pride for the province.

Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk, stated, "Considering the temporary increase in returning farming and rural migration households during the 1997 IMF crisis and the 2008 global financial crisis, it is expected that interest in low-density rural living will rise due to the impact of COVID-19, and more urban residents will become interested in returning to farming and rural migration amid prolonged economic recession."

He added, "This is the result of efforts made through step-by-step and systematic policy fund support, operation of various educational programs, and promotion to attract urban residents by participating in large-scale fairs, providing customized information centered on demand. We will continue to actively attract urban residents by supporting funds necessary for establishing farming bases for returning farmers and providing demand-centered, step-by-step customized education."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.