Domestic migration in South Korea reached its highest level for the month of June in five years, government data showed Wednesday.

The increase was driven by a rise in housing transactions as well as the expansion of a rural basic income pilot program, according to the Ministry of Statistics.

The ministry's monthly domestic migration report showed that 481,000 people relocated within the country last month, up 3,000, or 0.6 percent, from the same month a year earlier. It was the highest figure for June since 2021, when 544,000 people moved.

A villa complex in Seoul. [Yonhap]
A villa complex in Seoul. [Yonhap]

Over the long term, migration has been trending downward due to a shrinking youth population, but in the short term, market conditions such as real estate transactions continue to drive the pace of movement.

The ministry attributed the June uptick in part to a 6.3 percent year-on-year increase in home sales during April and May, when 136,000 transactions were recorded. The government's decision to add seven counties to the rural basic income pilot program also spurred relocations into those areas, the ministry said.

In terms of migration patterns, 65.9 percent of all movers relocated within the same province or metropolitan city, while 34.1 percent crossed provincial boundaries. Intra-provincial moves rose 1.4 percent from a year earlier, while inter-provincial moves fell 0.7 percent.

The migration rate — the number of movers per 100 people — stood at 11.5 percent, up 0.1 percentage point from a year ago. That was also the highest rate for June since 2021, when it reached 12.9 percent.

By region, Gyeonggi Province recorded the largest net inflow at 5,161 people, followed by Incheon at 2,229 and North Chungcheong Province at 863. Seven metropolitan cities and provinces in total posted net inflows. Seoul recorded the largest net outflow at 5,697 people, followed by Busan at 1,149 and Daegu at 822, with 10 regions in total seeing net outflows.

For the second quarter as a whole — April through June — 1.453 million people relocated, up 26,000, or 1.8 percent, from the same period last year. That was the highest second-quarter figure since 2024, when 1.471 million people moved. The migration rate for the quarter was 11.5 percent, up 0.2 percentage point from a year earlier.

Net migration in the second quarter followed a similar pattern: Gyeonggi Province led all regions with a net inflow of 11,391 people, followed by Incheon at 4,442 and North Chungcheong Province at 3,608, with seven regions posting net inflows overall. Seoul recorded a net outflow of 16,259 people, followed by Busan at 2,596 and Gwangju at 1,844, with 10 regions posting net outflows.

By age group, people in their 30s accounted for the largest share of movers at 343,000, followed by those in their 20s at 325,000. Compared with the same period last year, migration increased across all age groups except those under 10 and those in their 40s.

On the decline in migration among people in their 40s, the ministry said the drop partly reflected a shrinking population in that age group. Migration reasons are compiled separately in annual statistics.


y2k@heraldcorp.com