The number of foreign nationals and newly naturalized citizens residing in South Korea reached a record high of approximately two-point-58 million, accounting for five percent of the total population.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety's analysis of census data, released Thursday, reported that some two-point-584 million foreign and newly naturalized residents who have resided in the country for more than three months were in South Korea as of November 1, 2024.

The tally accounts for five percent of the nation's 51-point-81 million population.

The foreign and newly naturalized population broke its previous record, which was two-point-46 million according to data released last year.

The largest increase was among students, whose numbers jumped 13 percent from the previous year. The number of workers in the category rose six-point-nine percent, and those married to South Korean citizens surged six-point-five percent.

A plurality of foreign and newly naturalized residents, 845-thousand-74, lived in Gyeonggi Province, while those living in Seoul trailed at 450-thousand-888.