Five out of 100 South Korean residents now have foreign or immigrant backgrounds.

According to data released on Monday by the Ministry of Data and Statistics, some two-point-71 million people had foreign or immigrant roots as of November 1, 2024, up more than five percent from the previous year.

The group includes naturalized South Korean citizens and their children, as well as foreign nationals with legal residency in the country.

The surge in such population was sharper than the zero-point-one percent growth in the overall population.

The statistics agency found that more than 27 percent of the population with migrant backgrounds were 24 or younger, up nearly eight percent from 2023.

The report, the first of its kind, used a census of foreign or immigrant individuals who had resided in South Korea for at least 3 months as of November 1, 2024.