Honam Population Decreased by 18,000 Due to Outmigration Last Year

by Song Bohyeon

Published 18 Feb.2025 14:15(KST)

Updated 27 Jul.2025 19:49(KST)

Statistics Korea Releases "2024 Honam Regional Economic Trends"

Last year, approximately 18,000 people left the Honam region, including Gwangju, Jeonnam, and Jeonbuk, for other areas.

2024 Annual Economic Trends in the Honam Region. Provided by Honam Regional Statistics Office

According to the 2024 annual Honam regional economic trends announced by the Honam Regional Statistics Office on the 18th, 18,010 people moved out of the Honam region last year, mainly for education and employment in large cities. By region, 7,962 people left Gwangju, 3,988 left Jeonnam, and 6,060 left Jeonbuk.

Production in the mining and manufacturing sector, which indicates the state of the manufacturing industry, increased by only 2.4% compared to 2023. The national mining and manufacturing production index rose by 4.1% over the previous year, which is 1.7 percentage points higher than the Honam region. While exports increased by 8.1% nationwide, they actually fell by -3.8% in the Honam region.

Construction orders, a key indicator of regional economic vitality, dropped by -39.0% in the Honam region, in stark contrast to the national average increase of 7.2%. The employment rate, which reflects employment trends, remained unchanged in the Honam region compared to the previous year, while the national figure saw a slight increase of 0.1%.

Consumer prices nationwide rose by an average of 2.3%, but the Honam region saw higher increases: 2.5% in both Gwangju and Jeonnam, and 2.3% in Jeonbuk.