In 2023, around 532,100 Chinese of Korean descent lived in South Korea, the largest group of foreign nationals. This was followed by immigrants from Vietnam and China, with around 247,286 and 221,405, respectively.

In 2023, the total number of people who emigrated from South Korea amounted to around seven million. More than 2.6 million lived in the United States, followed by China with around 2.1 million.

In 2024, the internal migration rate in South Korea stood at 12.3 percent, a slight increase compared to the previous year. Accounting for a total of 6.3 million people, this applied to around one in eight South Koreans. This continued an overall downward trend that started in 1988, when the rate of migration lay at 23.7 percent. Prior to 1988, recorded migration rates fluctuated more frequently.

The footnotes in the table are represented in brackets.Footnotes: 1 For the 2011 National Household Survey (NHS) estimates, the global non-response rate (GNR) is used as an indicator of data quality. This indicator combines complete non-response (household) and partial non-response (question) into a single rate. The value of the GNR is presented to users. A smaller GNR indicates a lower risk of non-response bias and as a result, lower risk of inaccuracy. The threshold used for estimates' suppression is a GNR of 50% or more. For more information, please refer to the National Household Survey User Guide, 2011. 2 Language groups are defined as follows: 'English' includes respondents who reported English only or English and one non-official language; 'French' includes respondents who reported French only or French and one non-official language; 'English and French' includes respondents who reported English and French, with or without one non-official language. 'Total' category includes all groups mentioned as well as respondents who reported a non-official language as their only mother tongue. 3 The median age is an age 'x', such that exactly one half of the population is older than 'x' and the other half is younger than 'x'. 4 Marital status: Refers to the marital status of the person, taking into account his/her common-law status. Persons who are married or living common law may be of opposite sex or of the same sex. The classification is as follows: Married (and not separated): A person who is married and has not separated or obtained a divorce, and whose spouse is living. Common-law: A person who is living with another person as a couple but who is not legally married to that person. Separated: A person who is married but who no longer lives with his/her spouse (for any reason other than illness, work or school) and who has not obtained a divorce. Persons living common law are not included in this category. Divorced: A person who has obtained a legal divorce and who has not remarried. Persons living common law are not included in this category. Widowed: A person who has lost his/her spouse through death and who has not remarried. Persons living common law are not included in this category. Single (never legally married): A person who has never married or a person whose marriage has been annulled and who has not remarried. Persons living common law are not included in this category. 5 Refers to the ability to conduct a conversation in English only, in French only, in both English and French, or in neither English nor French. 6 Selected Aboriginal languages: The languages shown were selected based on the Aboriginal languages spoken most often reported as single responses in Canada in the 2011 National Household Survey. 7 Selected non-Aboriginal languages: The languages shown were selected based on the non-Aboriginal most often spoken at home (other than English or French) most often reported as single responses in Canada in the 2011 National Household Survey. 8 Other languages: This is a subtotal of all languages collected by the National Household Survey that are not displayed separately here. 9 Refers to languages, other than English or French, in which the respondent can conduct a conversation. The category 'Non-official languages spoken' represents the sum of single language responses and multiple language responses received in the NHS. Hence, this total is greater than the total population. 10 Cree languages include the following categories: Cree not otherwise specified (which refers to those who reported 'Cree'), Swampy Cree, Plains Cree, Woods Cree, and a category labelled 'Cree not included elsewhere' (which includes Moose Cree, Northern East Cree and Southern East Cree). 11 This is a subtotal of all Aboriginal languages collected on May 10, 2011 that are not displayed separately here. 12 This is a subtotal of all non-Aboriginal languages, other than English or French, collected on May 10, 2011 that are not displayed separately here. 13 Refers to the status of a person with regard to the place of residence on the reference day, May 10, 2011, in relation to the place of residence on the same date one year earlier. Persons who have not moved are referred to as non-movers and persons who have moved from one residence to another are referred to as movers. Movers include non-migrants and migrants. Non-migrants are persons who did move but remained in the same city, town, township, village or Indian reserve. Migrants include internal migrants who moved to a different city, town, township, village or Indian reserve within Canada. External migrants include persons who lived outside Canada at the earlier reference date. 14 Refers to the status of a person with regard to the place of residence on the reference day, May 10, 2011, in relation to the place of residence on the same date five years earlier. Persons who have not moved are referred to as non-movers and persons who have moved from one residence to another are referred to as movers. Movers include non-migrants and migrants. Non-migrants are persons who did move but remained in the same city, town, township, village or Indian reserve. Migrants include internal migrants who moved to a different city, town, township, village or Indian reserve within Canada. External migrants include persons who lived outside Canada at the earlier reference date. 15 Citizenship refers to the legal citizenship status of a person. Citizenship can be by birth or naturalization. A person may have more than one citizenship. A person may be stateless, that is, they may have no citizenship. 16 Includes persons who are stateless. 17 The places of birth selected are the most frequently reported by immigrants at the Canada level. 18 Non-immigrant refers to a person who is a Canadian citizen by birth. 19 Immigrant refers to a person who is or has ever been a landed immigrant/permanent resident. This person has been granted the right to live in Canada permanently by immigration authorities. Some immigrants have resided in Canada for a number of years, while others have arrived recently. Some immigrants are Canadian citizens, while others are not. Most immigrants are born outside Canada, but a small number are born in Canada. In the 2011 National Household Survey, 'Immigrants' includes immigrants who landed in Canada prior to May 10, 2011. 20 The official name of United Kingdom is United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. United Kingdom includes Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland (excludes Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and British Overseas Territories). 21 China excludes Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Macao Special Administrative Region. 22 The official name of Viet Nam is Socialist Republic of Viet Nam. 23 The official name of Iran is Islamic Republic of Iran. 24 The official name of South Korea is Republic of Korea. 25 The category 'Oceania and other' includes places of birth in Oceania and responses not included elsewhere, such as 'born at sea.' 26 The category 'Other places of birth' includes other places of birth in Oceania and responses not included elsewhere, such as 'born at sea.' 27 Non-permanent resident refers to a person from another country who has a work or study permit, or who is a refugee claimant, and any non-Canadian-born family member living in Canada with them. 28 Recent immigrants are immigrants who landed in Canada between January 1, 2006 and May 10, 2011. Immigrant refers to a person who is or has ever been a landed immigrant/permanent resident. This person has been granted the right to live in Canada permanently by immigration authorities. Some immigrants have resided in Canada for a number of years, while others have arrived recently. Some immigrants are Canadian citizens, while others are not. Most immigrants are born outside Canada, but a small number are born in Canada. The places of birth selected are the most frequently reported by recent immigrants at the Canada level. 29 The official name of Venezuela is Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. 30 The official name of Moldova is Republic of Moldova. 31 The official name of United Kingdom is United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. United Kingdom includes Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland (excludes Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and British Overseas Territories). 32 China excludes Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Macao Special Administrative Region. 33 The official name of Iran is Islamic Republic of Iran. 34 The official name of South Korea is Republic of Korea. 35 The official name of Viet Nam is Socialist Republic of Viet Nam. 36 The official name of Syria is Syrian Arab Republic. 37 The category 'Oceania and other' includes places of birth in Oceania and responses not included elsewhere, such as 'born at sea.' 38 Period of immigration refers to the period in which the immigrant first obtained his or her landed immigrant/permanent resident status. A landed immigrant/permanent resident refers to a person who has been granted the right to live permanently in Canada by immigration authorities. 39 Non-immigrant refers to a person who is a Canadian citizen by birth. 40 Immigrant refers to a person who is or has ever been a landed immigrant/permanent resident. This person has been granted the right to live in Canada permanently by immigration authorities. Some immigrants have resided in Canada for a number of years, while others have arrived recently. Some immigrants are Canadian citizens, while others are not. Most immigrants are born outside Canada, but a small number are born in Canada. In the 2011 National Household Survey, 'Immigrants' includes immigrants who landed in Canada prior to May 10, 2011. 41 Includes immigrants who landed in Canada prior to May 10, 2011. 42 Includes immigrants who landed in Canada

In 2024, approximately **** million residents of foreign nationality were registered in Japan, making up below ***** percent of the population. The total number of foreign residents increased by about ****million in the last decade. Development of immigration to Japan Except for a large minority of people of Korean descent who have lived in Japan since the first half of the twentieth century, immigration of people from other countries did not become an issue in Japan until the 1980s when the economy required more labor. A revision of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act in 1990 allowed people of Japanese descent, so-called "nikkeijin," to enter the country and work without restrictions. The nikkeijin who entered Japan in the years that followed mainly came from Brazil and other South American countries. Chinese immigration increased as well throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. A breakdown of foreign residents by major nationalities shows that ********immigrants overtook ******* as the largest minority group in 2007. People from ******* were the strongest growing minority in the 2010s. Recent immigration reform Due to its demographic changes, Japan has a relatively low unemployment rate. As a consequence, a large share of companies report labor shortages. The temporary immigration of foreign workers is considered one of the possible solutions to this problem, next to the increasing labor market participation of women and the elderly. In 2019, the Japanese government enacted a major immigration reform. The reform allowed lower- and semi-skilled workers to enter the country and work in one of 14 different industries suffering from a lack of labor. The vast majority of participants are not allowed to bring their family members and are expected to return to their respective countries after their terms in Japan end.