KUALA LUMPUR - The number of foreigners living long-term in South Korea has exceeded 2.5 million for the first time, reaching the highest level since records began in 2006, the Chosun Daily reported.

According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, there were 2,583,626 foreign residents in the country as of November 1 last year.

The figure shows an increase of 124,084 people, or about 5%, compared to 2,459,542 in 2023.

Foreign residents include people who have stayed in the country for at least three months, those who have become naturalized citizens, and their children.

The number of foreign residents has generally risen every year since 2006, except during 2020 and 2021 when it fell due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Growth resumed in 2022 and has continued steadily since then.

By category, the number of foreign workers rose by 32,384, international students by 26,908, and immigrants married to Koreans by 11,767.

All 17 provinces and major cities saw an increase in foreign residents, with Gyeonggi, South Chungcheong, South Gyeongsang, and North Gyeongsang each recording rises of over 10,000 people.

Gyeonggi Province recorded the largest number of foreign residents at 845,074, followed by Seoul with 450,888, South Chungcheong with 169,245, and Incheon with 169,219.

At the city level, Ansan has the biggest foreign population with 109,872 residents, followed by Hwaseong with 81,705 and Siheung with 78,444.