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Multicultural families

Foreign residents counted by MOIS numbered 2,583,626 in 2024. Of these, 2,042,744 do not hold Republic of Korea nationality, 245,578 have acquired it, and 295,304 are children of foreign residents. The district with the most children of foreign residents is Hwaseong-si (6,397), and they are counted in 252 districts.

In 2024, multicultural households were counted in 3,554 sub-districts, with 1,239,448 household members in all. The largest groups are children born in Korea (292,720), other Korean household members (282,829) and Naturalized (226,974). The sub-district with the most is Hyangnam-eup, Hwaseong-si (5,741).

Source: Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Status of Foreign Residents in Local Governments, 2024.

Note: children by age and multicultural households are both for 2024. Cities with general districts also appear as a city-level row, which is excluded from the count. The age table sums to 315,383, against 295,304 children in the population table.

Table 1.Foreign resident categories, 2024Unit: persons, %
2024
CategoryPersonsRelative to total
Children of foreign residents295,30411.4
Not holding Korean nationality2,042,74479.1
Acquired Korean nationality245,5789.5
Total2,583,626100

Source: MOIS Status of Foreign Residents in Local Governments.

Note: People who have acquired Korean nationality and their children are included, so the coverage differs from registered foreigners.

Figure 1.Children of foreign residents by age, 2024Unit: persons
2024

Source: MOIS Status of Foreign Residents in Local Governments.

Note: This table sums to 315,383, which differs from the 295,304 in the population table.

View as table
AgePersons
013,542
111,902
212,479
314,614
416,460
517,091
616,284
716,740
817,490
917,969
1017,934
1118,786
1219,951
1319,587
1419,597
1518,641
1618,075
1716,256
1811,985
Table 2.Top 20 districts by children of foreign residents (MOIS), 2024Unit: persons
2024
RankDistrictProvinceChildren
1Hwaseong-siGyeonggi-do6,397
2Siheung-siGyeonggi-do5,514
3Pyeongtaek-siGyeonggi-do5,244
4Seo-guIncheon4,228
5Jeju-siJeju-do3,687
6Gimhae-siGyeongsangnam-do3,626
7Namyangju-siGyeonggi-do3,466
8Ansan-si Danwon-guGyeonggi-do3,462
9Bupyeong-guIncheon3,379
10Gimpo-siGyeonggi-do3,323
11Gwangsan-guGwangju3,220
12Asan-siChungcheongnam-do3,152
13Paju-siGyeonggi-do3,081
14Namdong-guIncheon3,051
15Gwangju-siGyeonggi-do2,728
16Michuhol-guIncheon2,695
17Ansan-si Sangnok-guGyeonggi-do2,632
18Guro-guSeoul2,419
19Cheonan-si Seobuk-guChungcheongnam-do2,319
20Dalseo-guDaegu2,315

Source: MOIS Status of Foreign Residents in Local Governments.

Note: Counted in 252 districts. City-level rows for cities that contain general districts (gu) are excluded.

Figure 2.Foreign residents (MOIS) over time, 2006–2024Unit: 10,000 persons

Source: MOIS Status of Foreign Residents in Local Governments.

Note: People who have acquired Korean nationality and their children are counted together, so the figure is larger than registered foreigners.

View as table
YearForeign residentsChange from previous year
2006536,627-
2007722,686+186,059
2008891,341+168,655
20091,106,884+215,543
20101,139,283+32,399
20111,265,006+125,723
20121,409,577+144,571
20131,445,631+36,054
20141,569,470+123,839
20151,741,919+172,449
20161,764,664+22,745
20171,861,084+96,420
20182,054,621+193,537
20192,216,612+161,991
20202,156,417-60,195
20212,134,569-21,848
20222,258,248+123,679
20232,459,542+201,294
20242,583,626+124,084
Table 3.Multicultural household composition, 2024Unit: persons, %
2024
CompositionPersonsShare of total
Child (born in Korea)292,72023.6
Other cohabitant (Korean)282,82922.8
Naturalized226,97418.3
Marriage migrant191,05415.4
Korean spouse167,60213.5
Other cohabitant (foreign)57,9034.7
Child (naturalized/foreign)19,9221.6
Total1,239,448100

Source: MOIS Status of Multicultural Households by Sub-district.

Note: Subtotal items duplicate other rows and are excluded.

Table 4.20 sub-districts with the most multicultural households, 2024Unit: persons
2024
RankSub-districtDistrictTotal
1Hyangnam-eupHwaseong-si5,741
2Jeongwang 1-dongSiheung-si4,641
3Guro 2-dongGuro-gu4,141
4Jeongwangbon-dongSiheung-si3,829
5Wongok-dongAnsan-si Danwon-gu3,802
6Daerim 2-dongYeongdeungpo-gu3,601
7Bupyeong 5-dongBupyeong-gu3,568
8Bongdam-eupHwaseong-si3,349
9Namyang-eupHwaseong-si3,006
10Bupyeong 4-dongBupyeong-gu2,870
11Hwado-eupNamyangju-si2,867
12Guro 4-dongGuro-gu2,764
13Sosabon-dongBucheon-si Sosa-gu2,716
14Wa-dongAnsan-si Danwon-gu2,598
15Daerim 3-dongYeongdeungpo-gu2,583
16Seonbu 2-dongAnsan-si Danwon-gu2,567
17Doksan 3-dongGeumcheon-gu2,544
18Gongdo-eupAnseong-si2,514
19Jinjeop-eupNamyangju-si2,457
20Naeoe-dongGimhae-si2,345

Source: MOIS Status of Multicultural Households by Sub-district.