'Outbound Travelers > Inbound Travelers' for the First Time in 16 Years... Net International Migration Outflow Last Year

(Data provided by Statistics Korea)

Last year, due to the spread of COVID-19, a 'net outflow' occurred for the first time in 16 years since 2006, with more departures than arrivals.

According to the '2021 International Migration Statistics' released by Statistics Korea on the 14th, among international migrants staying over 90 days last year, 410,000 people entered South Korea, while 476,000 people departed, recording a net outflow of 66,000 people.

This is the first time since 2005 (net outflow of 95,000 people) that international net migration recorded a net outflow.

The total number of international migrants, combining arrivals and departures last year, was 887,000, a decrease of 347,000 (-28.1%) compared to the previous year. This is the lowest number since 2003, when it was 851,000.

The number of Korean nationals entering the country was 190,000, a decrease of 250,000 (-56.9%), while departures were 213,000, an increase of 14,000 (7.2%).

The number of foreign nationals entering was 221,000, a decrease of 13,000 (-5.4%), and departures were 263,000, a decrease of 98,000 (-27.2%).

By gender, international migrants consisted of 478,000 men (53.9%) and 409,000 women (46.1%), with men outnumbering women by 69,000.

By age group, those in their 20s were the largest at 243,000, followed by those in their 30s (190,000) and 40s (135,000).

Among foreign nationals by nationality, arrivals were highest from China (95,000), Vietnam (17,000), and the United States (17,000), with the top three countries accounting for 58.6% of all foreign arrivals.

Compared to one year ago, arrivals decreased most from Vietnam (-11,000) and the United States (-4,000), while Uzbekistan increased by 5,000.

By nationality, departures were highest from China (117,000), Vietnam (17,000), and the United States (16,000), with the top three countries accounting for 57.0% of all foreign departures.

At the time of entry, the most common visa status for foreigners was employment (30.4%), followed by study/general training (28.8%), overseas Koreans (15.1%), and permanent residency/marriage immigrants (13.6%).

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