Signal Capital-region share of Korea's population hit a record 51.7 percent in 2023

Summary

The capital-markets overview reports that the Seoul capital region held 51.7 percent of Korea's population in 2023, the highest share on record. The share has climbed steadily from 28.3 percent in 1970 to 46.3 percent in 2000 before passing the halfway mark. Meanwhile the population outside the capital region is falling quickly. The survey links this pattern to capital and investment becoming locked into metropolitan areas and to weakening demand for provincial property and real assets. It presents the concentration as a starting point for regional polarisation of asset prices and rising volatility in financial markets.