Despite Population Decline, Urban Area Residency Rate Increases to 92%

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Announces '2022 Urban Planning Status Statistics'
Total Population Drops Below 200,000... Urban Residency Rate Increases
"Development Activity Permits Decrease Due to Real Estate Market Slump"

Despite the decline in the total domestic population, the proportion of residents living in urban areas has remained at approximately 92%.

According to the '2022 Urban Planning Status Statistics' released on the 18th by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Land and Geospatial Informatix Corporation, the land area designated as use districts under the National Land Planning Act increased by 25㎢ from the previous year to 106,232㎢. Use districts refer to areas designated by urban management plans to utilize land economically and efficiently without overlap.

Among these, urban areas (residential, commercial, industrial, and green areas) accounted for 17,792㎢, representing 16.7%. Specifically, compared to the previous year, residential and industrial areas increased by 13㎢ and 12㎢ respectively, while green areas and others decreased.

In urban areas, 47.29 million people registered as residents lived, showing a concentration phenomenon. This figure accounts for 91.9% of the total population of 51.44 million, and while the population is gradually decreasing, the proportion of people living in urban areas is showing a slight increasing trend.

In fact, last year, the total domestic population was 51.64 million, a decrease of 200,000 people (0.38%) compared to the previous year. The population decreased by 108,000 in urban areas and 92,000 in non-urban areas. However, the proportion of the population living in urban areas increased from 91.78% in 2020 to 91.80% in 2021, and 91.94% last year.

Excluding urban areas among use districts, the figures were ▲management areas 27,304㎢ (25.7%) ▲agricultural and forest areas 49,244㎢ (46.4%) ▲natural environment conservation areas 11,871㎢ (11.2%).

Urban Area Population Ratio Trends / Provided by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

Meanwhile, the number of development activity permits last year was 243,605, a decrease of 31,606 (11.5%) compared to the previous year. By type, building construction accounted for 137,615 cases (56.5%), and landform changes for 64,710 cases (26.6%). By region, Gyeonggi-do had the highest number with 65,750 cases (26.9%).

However, the overall number of permits decreased compared to previous years, which the Ministry of Land attributes to a decline in land transactions and construction activities due to the real estate market downturn. Development activity permits showed a high growth rate of 21.3% from 2013 to 2016 and peaked at over 300,000 cases each year from 2016 to 2018. Since then, the COVID-19 pandemic and the real estate market downturn have caused a decline.

The area designated as urban and county planning facilities totaled 7,093.6㎢, an increase of 61.4㎢ compared to 2021. By type, transportation facilities such as roads and railways were the largest at 2,268.8㎢ (32%), followed by disaster prevention facilities such as rivers and reservoirs at 2,213.7㎢ (31.2%), and spatial facilities such as parks and green spaces at 1,181.8㎢ (16.7%).

Among spatial facilities providing rest and convenience spaces for citizens, parks expanded by 44.3% from 403.9㎢ in 2013 to 582.6㎢ last year. The Ministry of Land explained, "The per capita park area has steadily increased since surpassing the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended standard of 9㎡ in 2018, reaching 11.3㎡ last year," adding, "Sejong has the largest area at 57.6㎡, while Seoul has the smallest at 4.7㎡."

Among urban and county planning facilities that have been designated but not yet executed, roads accounted for the largest share at 151.7㎢.

Status of Development Activity Permits / Provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

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