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Population mobility rises 11.5 percent in January: Data

Published: 25 Feb. 2026, 13:32 Updated: 25 Feb. 2026, 14:42

People check rental listings in Jongno District in central Seoul on Feb. 24. The average monthly rent and maintenance fee for housing units smaller than 33 square meters, with a 10 million won deposit, near 10 universities in Seoul rose 18.1 percent on-year in January to 738,000 won, according to real estate platform Dabang. [YONHAP]

The number of Koreans relocating to new homes rose 11.5 percent last month due mainly to a low base effect, data showed Wednesday.

Around 568,000 people changed residences in January, up by 59,000 from a year earlier, according to the data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics.

The on-year growth marked the fastest increase since April 2024, when the figure rose 17.1 percent.

The increase, however, was largely attributable to a base effect, as the number of movers had plunged 14.6 percent in January 2025 due to the Lunar New Year holiday during the month. This year's Lunar New Year was observed in mid-February.

The number of movers has been on a long-term downward trend amid an aging and shrinking population, while it is influenced, in the short term, by housing transactions and the supply of newly completed apartments.

The population mobility rate, which refers to the percentage of people relocating per 100 residents, increased 1.4 percentage points on year to 13.1 percent, the data showed.

Yonhap