The living population in areas experiencing population decline was recorded at 32.85 million in May, which is 5.8 times the registered population of 4.86 million, including both residents and foreign registrants. However, the increase in living population observed in April and May was followed by a decrease in June compared to the same month last year.
According to the '2026 Second Quarter Living Population Estimation Results' released on the 29th by the National Data Agency and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the living population in 89 declining areas was 26.68 million in April, 32.85 million in May, and 26.27 million in June. The living population includes the temporary population, which consists of individuals staying in the area for commuting, studying, or tourism purposes. The temporary population is defined as those who spent more than three hours in the area on at least one day per month.
Compared to the same month last year, the living population increased by 1.44 million in April and 1.48 million in May, but decreased by 940,000 in June. The temporary population rose from 21.83 million in April to 27.99 million in May, then fell to 21.39 million in June. The registered population remained stable at around 4.85 to 4.87 million during this period. Monthly fluctuations in the living population were primarily driven by changes in the temporary population.
By gender, the temporary population was higher among men than women. In May, the male temporary population was approximately 15 million, about 1.2 times greater than the female population of 12.99 million. The ratio of the temporary population to the registered population was 6.1 times for men and 5.4 times for women. Among age groups, those aged 60 and older made up the largest portion of the temporary population, but the highest ratio of temporary to registered population was among those in their 40s at 9.2 times, followed by those in their 30s at 8.3 times.
Regionally, Gangwon Province had a high proportion of residents from other provinces. As of June, 81.3% of the temporary population in Gangwon consisted of residents from other areas. The largest temporary population was recorded in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, throughout April to June. The ratio of temporary to registered population was highest in Yangyang, Gangwon, at 17.6 times in May and 14.5 times in June.
In June, the average length of stay in declining areas was 3.4 days, with an average daily stay of 11.8 hours. The average number of overnight stays was recorded at 3.9 days. The re-visit rate for the temporary population over the past three months was relatively high in metropolitan areas and North Gyeongsang Province, while it was lowest in Gangwon. The ratio of incoming to outgoing population was highest in Gangwon, where the incoming population was 3.3 times that of the outgoing population as of May.
In terms of consumption, card spending by the temporary population accounted for a significant portion of local spending. The average card spending per person in declining areas was 129,000 won in April, 120,000 won in May, and 128,000 won in June. The proportion of card spending by the temporary population within the living population was 34.5% in April, 38.0% in May, and 34.9% in June. In metropolitan declining areas, the proportion of card spending by the temporary population exceeded 50.1% in June. Spending was particularly high in the food, general retail, and transportation sectors.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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