Good to know
Good to Know
- Seoul's registered foreign population (~440,000 in 2023) represents only the official, documented residents; actual foreign presence including short-term visa holders, students, and digital nomads is substantially higher (~1.6-2.8 million across all South Korea with ~57.5% in Greater Seoul)
- Chinese nationals (including ethnic Koreans) comprise the largest foreign group at 35.6%, reflecting historical migration patterns and F-4 visa programs for ethnic Korean returnees
- Seoul hosts major tech and business hubs, particularly in Gangnam's Teheran-ro district, with significant multinational presence alongside Korean giants like Samsung, Hyundai, and Naver
- Digital nomad visa uptake remains modest (398 registered as of May 2026) with strong concentration in Seoul metro area despite government incentives to encourage settlement elsewhere
- Foreign women outnumber men in Seoul (56.7% female), particularly from East Asia and Southeast Asia, reflecting labor migration patterns in specific sectors
Major Headquarters
Samsung Electronics
- Sector
- Semiconductors, consumer electronics
- Note
- Largest semiconductor company in Korea; headquartered in Seoul
LG Electronics
- Sector
- Home appliances, consumer electronics
- Note
- Headquartered in Seoul; major electronics manufacturer
Hyundai Motor
- Sector
- Automotive
- Note
- Headquartered in Seocho district, Seoul
Naver
- Sector
- Internet services, AI, cloud
- Note
- Korea's most visited website; invests in AI and robotics
Kakao
- Sector
- Messaging, fintech, digital services
- Note
- KakaoTalk used by ~97% of Korean population
International Tech Presence
Microsoft
- Presence
- AI Co-Innovation Lab in Seoul; cloud services focus
Google
- Presence
- Cloud division, developer ecosystem
SendBird
- Presence
- Seoul engineering team; customer engagement platform
Notion
- Presence
- Seoul office in Gangnam District near Teheran-ro
Airwallex
- Presence
- Growing team in Seoul; fintech platform
Notable Nationalities South Korea
Chinese (Including Ethnic Koreans)
- Percentage
- 35.6
- Year
- 2024
- Count
- 958959
Vietnamese
- Percentage
- 12.4
- Year
- 2024
- Count
- 305936
American
- Percentage
- 7.1
- Year
- 2024
- Count
- 170251
Thai
- Percentage
- 6.3
- Year
- 2024
- Count
- 188770
Uzbekistani
- Percentage
- 3.6
- Year
- 2024
- Count
- ~98000
Population Official Seoul
- Year
- 2026
- Figure
- 9668465
- Description
- Official Seoul Special City population estimate (city proper)
Market Size Note
South Korea IT services market reached USD 28.3 billion in 2023; semiconductor market dominance with Samsung controlling ~41% of DRAM globally
Tech Concentration
Gangnam district, particularly Teheran-ro (colloquially 'Teheran Valley' compared to Silicon Valley)
Digital Nomad Visa Holders
- Year
- 2026
- Month
- May
- Total Registered
- 398
- Visa Program Launch
- January 2024 (pilot phase, total issued during pilot: 743)
- Note
- F-1-D Digital Nomad Visa; became permanent program on 30 June 2026; approximately 85% based in greater Seoul metropolitan area
Broader Foreign Population Estimate
- Year
- 2025
- Month
- October
- Total Count South Korea
- 2837525
- Sourcing Note
- Uses Ministry of Justice official figures as primary data; represents broadest enumerated foreign presence including unregistered long-stayers and visa residents
Includes
- Long-term residents (90+ days registered)
- Short-term residents
- Ethnic Koreans from abroad (F-4 visa holders)
- Tourist-visa residents
Foreign Born Percentage South Korea
- Percentage
- 3.5
- Year
- 2024
- Note
- UN data; slightly below world average of 3.7%
Seoul Foreign Resident Demographics
- Age Distribution
- Largest segment in 30s (25.7%), followed by 20s (23.1%)
- Gender Distribution
- Approximately 56.7% female (contrasts with national sex ratio)
- Note
- Seoul has lower proportion of E9 visa holders (1.6%) vs. national average (22.1%), reflecting different industrial composition
Visa Type Breakdown
- Spouse Visa
- ~8.6%
- Work Related
- ~9.7%
- Student Visas
- ~30%
- Korean Descendants
- ~14.9%
- Permanent Residency
- ~19.1%
Foreign Residents In Seoul Specifically
- Year
- 2023
- Registered Count
- 440000
- Note
- Seoul Metropolitan Government figure; represents approximately 4.5% of Seoul's population
Foreign Residents Registered South Korea
- Year
- 2025
- Month
- October
- Total Count
- 2837525
- Note
- Ministry of Justice data for entire South Korea; Greater Seoul region (Seoul + Gyeonggi + Incheon) accounts for ~57.5% of all foreign residents
Breakdown
- Short Term Residents
- 676000
- Long Term Residents 90 Days Plus
- 2160000
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this local demographics research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Seoul
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.