The number of foreign residents in the country has surpassed 2 million, reaching an all-time high, prompting the Statistics Korea to expand its foreign-related statistical indicators. The government is pursuing various policies to attract foreign nationals due to the decreasing working-age population caused by low birth rates and aging, but it has determined that the statistics needed to support foreign-related policies are insufficient.
According to government sources on the 22nd, the Statistics Korea recently commissioned research on the 'development of estimation methods for future foreign households.' There are plans to include foreigners in the future household estimations. The future household estimation is a statistic published every 2 to 3 years based on the national census, demographic statistics (births and deaths), and international migration statistics. This statistic is used as a basic data for the establishment of medium- to long-term policies by the government and local governments, as well as for predicting demands for dwellings, transportation, and electricity.
While Statistics Korea includes foreigners in future population estimates, it has not included them in future household estimates. This is because it is impossible to ascertain the marital and divorce statuses of households composed solely of foreigners, and other factors, such as the age of household members, are also not recorded.
In light of the continuous increase in the number of foreigners, the Statistics Korea reports that failing to conduct future household estimations for foreigners could complicate policy-making for various ministries. In 2023, the number of foreign households nationwide reached 637,218, an increase of 200,000 compared to 2015 (433,109 households).
According to the Ministry of Justice, the number of foreign residents in the country last year was 2,657,83, which was the highest ever. This means that 5.18% of the total population of South Korea (51,217,221) are foreign residents. The Ministry of Education is working to attract additional international students, and the Ministry of Employment and Labor is expanding visa options to bring in more foreign workers, suggesting that the number of foreign residents in the country is expected to increase further.
◇ Review of scattered statistics by each ministry, beginning to establish a foreign statistics system
The Statistics Korea will also embark on establishing a foreign statistics system independent of the future household estimates. It plans to analyze the statistics currently scattered among the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and others to identify missing statistics and those that need to be developed. The goal is to establish a medium- to long-term development direction for foreign statistics compared to regions with a high number of immigrants, such as the European Union and the United States.
A Statistics Korea official said, "We intend to compare our current statistics with overseas examples to determine if they are adequate and to identify which additional indicators are necessary," noting, "By examining how countries with a high proportion of immigrants manage their statistics, we can enhance the lacking statistics."
The Statistics Korea is also considering developing statistics that can reveal the overall situation of immigrants, similar to 'Korean social indicators.' Currently, South Korea's social indicators disclose various metrics such as educational opportunities, school life, employment and unemployment, income, consumption, leisure time, expenditure on dwellings, social conflicts, and social isolation.
If social indicators for foreigners are established, it is expected that it will be possible to observe when a foreigner settles in Korea after their arrival, whether they receive new education, marry, or have children. Once this statistic is established, it is anticipated that future education and safety for foreign children, as well as the degree of social integration, could be aggregated.
Experts also recognize the need for related statistics. Jeon Young-soo, a professor at Hanyang University’s Graduate School of International Studies, noted, "Recently, various policies to attract foreigners have been implemented by both the central government and local governments, but there are still not many statistics to support concrete policy development." He added, “Currently, while the focus is on attracting foreign students and short-term laborers, it is essential to build statistics centered on the settlement of foreigners,” and also remarked that “effectively managing the scattered foreign statistics from various ministries all at once would be a good approach.”