Last year, as the burden of staying abroad rose due to the high exchange rate and the studying-abroad craze subsided, fewer Korean nationals went overseas, whereas the number of foreigners coming to Korea ‘to study’ reached the highest level on record. As arrivals from China fell amid its population decline, for the first time since statistics began, the country ranked ‘No. 1 in foreign arrivals’ domestically was Vietnam.

According to the ‘2025 International Migration Statistics’ released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on the 9th, among movers whose length of stay exceeded 90 days, 685,000 people entered Korea last year, 74,000 more than the number of departures (611,000). The trend of ‘net inflow’, with more entries than exits for four consecutive years, continued, but the size of the net inflow decreased by 51,000 from a year earlier.

Entries by Korean nationals were 257,000 and departures were 233,000, down 7% and 6.5%, respectively, from the previous year. In particular, the number of departures by Korean nationals fell for three consecutive years from 2023, marking the third-lowest level on record since statistics began in 2000. Given that the lowest (2020) and second-lowest (2021) departure counts both occurred during the COVID-19 period when international movement was temporarily restricted, last year saw an exceptionally small number of Koreans leaving the country.

An official at the Ministry of Data and Statistics said, “Study and employment-related reasons account for many departures, and in addition to demographic factors such as the decline in the school-age population, the waning study-abroad boom and the higher exchange rate, which increases the cost of living, appear to have collectively contributed to the decrease in departures.”

By contrast, foreigners who entered Korea for ‘learning’ after obtaining student or general training status of stay numbered 108,000, the most on record. The number of foreign entrants with student or general training status hovered around 66,000 before COVID-19, jumped to around 80,000 after COVID-19, and last year exceeded 100,000 for the first time.

However, as entries by non-professional workers and visa-exempt short-term visitors declined, total foreign arrivals were 428,000, down 23,000 (5.1%) from a year earlier.

By nationality, the foreign entrants last year were most commonly from Vietnam (98,000), China (94,000), and the United States (23,000), in that order. China, which has many overseas compatriots, had consistently ranked first by nationality of entrants since statistics began in 2000, but for the first time last year its ranking fell.

Yu Su-deok, head of the Population Projection Team at the Ministry of Data and Statistics, said, “Vietnam has recently seen an increase in student and general training arrivals, while China continues to see declines in arrivals for overseas compatriots and visit employment,” adding, “As the population of China decreases, the number of ethnic Koreans in China is also falling, which may be part of the backdrop.”

By nationality, departures were China (100,000), Vietnam (70,000), and Thailand (35,000), in that order.