From 2010 to 2020, an average of 580,000 people left Seoul annually... 480,000 moved in, a yearly decrease of 100,000

Seoul Citizens' Primary Moving Purpose is 'Housing'... Moving into Seoul Driven Mainly by 'Job' and 'Education'
Active Inflow and Outflow Among 20s and 30s, Moving to Gyeonggi-do and Incheon

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] From 2010 to 2020, over 11 years, approximately 580,000 people left Seoul annually while 480,000 people moved into Seoul each year, resulting in an annual population decrease of about 100,000. More than 60% of the citizens leaving Seoul moved to Gyeonggi-do, and over 31% cited housing issues as the reason.

On the 10th, Seoul City analyzed the patterns of in-migration and out-migration of Seoul citizens from 2010 to 2020 using the 'Domestic Population Movement Statistics.' It was found that over 11 years, about 2.165 million people, equivalent to 21.7% of the average population, moved either within Seoul or outside Seoul. Internal movement within Seoul averaged 1.583 million people per year (73.1%), while out-migration from Seoul to other regions averaged 582,000 people per year (26.9%), meaning that one out of every five Seoul citizens moved to another region annually.

The number of Seoul citizens moving to other regions averaged 582,000 per year. Among them, 360,000 people moved to Gyeonggi-do, accounting for 61.9%, followed by Incheon Metropolitan City (7.6%), Chungcheongnam-do (3.7%), and Gangwon-do (3.7%). Last year, Gyeonggi-do accounted for 375,000 people (65.4%), Incheon Metropolitan City 40,000 people (6.9%), and Gangwon-do 20,000 people (3.6%).

Regarding the age distribution of citizens moving to other regions, those in their 30s had the highest proportion, but last year, for the first time, the proportion of people in their 20s surpassed those in their 30s. The analysis showed that the age groups moving to other regions were 30s (24.9%) highest, followed by 20s (21.3%), and 40s (14.0%). Last year, the order changed to 20s (23.9%), 30s (23.1%), and 40s (13.9%), with the 20s out-migration surpassing the 30s for the first time.

The main reason for out-migration was housing. The reasons for moving out were housing (31.4%), family (27.1%), job (23.2%), others (15.0%), and education (3.3%). Out-migration due to job and family reasons was highest among those in their 30s and 20s, respectively. Education-related out-migration was high among teenagers and people in their 20s, and since 2016, educational out-migration among people in their 20s has surpassed that of teenagers.

The population moving into Seoul from other regions over the past 11 years was 480,000, less than those moving out. The main regions of in-migration were Gyeonggi-do with 250,000 people (52.2%), Incheon Metropolitan City with 34,000 people (7.1%), and Busan Metropolitan City with 20,000 people (4.3%). In-migration to Seoul showed a decreasing trend since 2010 but shifted to an increasing trend from 2017.

Last year, 510,000 people moved into Seoul from other regions. Gyeonggi-do accounted for 266,000 people (52.2%), Incheon Metropolitan City 38,000 people (7.5%), and Chungnam 21,000 people (4.2%). The main reason for moving into Seoul was job-related at 30.8%, followed by housing (24.0%), family (24.0%), others (13.5%), and education (7.7%), with job being the most significant factor.

Over the past 11 years, the age groups moving into Seoul were highest among people in their 20s (31.6%), followed by 30s (21.7%) and 40s (12.6%). The number of people in their 20s moving in has been increasing annually, while those in their 30s have been decreasing. Job-related in-migration has been steadily increasing, mainly among people in their 20s and 30s, with nearly half being in their 20s. Educational in-migration was highest among people in their 20s and teenagers.

Lee Won-mok, Director of Smart City Policy, said, "The analysis of Seoul citizens' in- and out-migration over the past 11 years shows that Seoul citizens tend not to easily leave their current residential areas centered around their living zones," adding, "This analysis will be used as basic data for future policy formulation for Seoul City's development and progress."

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