The number of foreign residents living in Korea rose for the fourth consecutive year in 2025 to reach a record high of 2.66 million, driven largely by a sharp increase in international students, government data showed Wednesday. According to the 2025 Foreign Resident Status report released by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, foreign residents totaled 2,662,967 as of Nov. 1 last year. The figure represents a 3.1 percent increase, or 79,341 people, from 2,583,626 a year earlier, based on census data compiled by the National Data Agency. Foreign residents now account for 5.1 percent of Korea’s total population of 51,817,499 — the highest proportion on record. The ministry defines foreign residents as individuals residing in the country for more than 90 days who hold foreign nationality, have acquired Korean citizenship or were born in Korea to foreign-national or naturalized parents. By category, non-Korean nationals grew 3.2 percent to 2,109,057, while naturalized citizens increased 4.4 percent to 256,491. Korean-born children of foreign residents edged up 0.7 percent to 297,4