South Korea
Key Statistics
Data are 2024 UN data and may differ from national statistics agencies.
1812000
Immigrant Population
3.5%
Immigrant Share of Total Population
2030000
Emigrant Population
All Content
Showing 1–10 of 24 results
Korean Immigrants in the United States
Korean immigrants in the United States tend to be highly educated, naturalized U.S. citizens, and earn high incomes.
The Role of Immigration as South Korea Navigates Demographic Decline
A country that was 0.3% foreign-born in 1998 is now racing to redesign its immigration system before a demographic crisis reshapes its economy and workforce.
Slipping through the Cracks in South Korea: The Uncertain Futures for the Children of North Korean Defectors
Children born in China to North Korean mothers are a fast-growing but legally overlooked population in South Korea, falling outside defector support programs.
Immigrants from Asia in the United States
Immigrants from Asia in the United States are a fast-growing group that tends to be highly educated. But wide disparities in income and opportunity exist across national- origin communities.
Immigration Systems in Labor-Needy Japan and South Korea Have Evolved—but Remain Restrictive
Japan and South Korea have quietly expanded immigration through complex, tiered visa systems to meet labor needs while keeping formal pathways to permanent settlement narrow.
Mobility Shutdown: The Impacts of COVID-19 on Migration in Asia and the Pacific
COVID-19 caused a prolonged mobility shutdown across Asia and the Pacific, devastating labor markets, tourism, and education. Migrants bore disproportionate burdens.
Using Risk Analysis to Shape Border Management: A Review of Approaches during the COVID-19 Pandemic
During COVID-19, widely varying border risk-analysis approaches revealed the need for consistent, data-driven, rights-respecting frameworks for future crises.
Korean Immigrants in the United States
The number of Korean immigrants in the United States is shrinking, driven by aging, economic growth, and a demographic crunch in South Korea.
COVID-19 and the State of Global Mobility in 2020
In 2020, COVID-19 sharply curtailed global mobility, slashing international flights and leaving nearly 3 million people stranded by mid-year.
Managing the Pandemic and Its Aftermath: Economies, Jobs, and International Migration in the Age of COVID-19
Global migration fell 46 percent in the first half of 2020. This report examines the COVID-19 pandemic's economic toll on migration systems and paths toward recovery.
