The number of foreign workers and students in South Korea rose sharply last year, with the total number of long-term international visitors reaching a record high of some two-point-46 million.

According to the interior ministry’s analysis of data from Statistics Korea on Thursday, there were two-point-46 million foreigners staying in the country for over three months as of November 1, 2023, the highest number since 2006.

Foreigners accounted for four-point-eight percent of the nation’s total population of 51-point-77 million.

While the number of foreigners without South Korean citizenship jumped ten-point-four percent on-year to one-point-94 million, the number of those who acquired citizenship rose four-point-eight percent to 234-thousand-506.

The number of foreign laborers increased 16-point-six percent on-year to 67-thousand-111, while student numbers rose eight-point-nine percent to 16-thousand-932.

The ministry attributed the record rise in the number of foreigners to a greater inflow of workers and students.