South Korea sees population growth for 2nd year in row

South Korea's total population grew slightly in 2024 for the second consecutive year, despite ongoing demographic challenges, official data showed Tuesday.

The population stood at 51.81 million as of Nov. 1, reflecting a 0.1% increase, or 30,000 people, from the previous year, according to Yonhap news agency, citing Statistics Korea data.

It marked the second straight year of modest growth after back-to-back declines in 2021 and 2022.

South Korea saw its first-ever population decline in 2021 since the start of statistical records in 1949.

The last year's increase came after the number of foreign residents rose by 5.6%, up 110,000 to 2.04 million, driven by relaxed visa rules and growing labor demand.

However, the number of South Korean nationals declined last year by 0.2% to 49.76 million, the fourth straight annual drop.

The working-age population, aged 15-64, also shrank by 290,000 to 36.26 million, now accounting for 70% of the total, a figure that has steadily declined since 2018.