South Korea’s Urban-to-Rural Farmers Dip for Third Year

(MENAFN) Statistics Korea reported Tuesday that the number of city dwellers relocating to the countryside to pursue farming continued its decline for the third straight year, with figures dropping sharply into double digits.

In 2024, only 8,243 urban households made the move to rural regions to take up farming—a steep 20.0 percent drop compared to the year prior. This marks a continued slide from a high of 14,347 in 2021, followed by 12,411 in 2022 and 10,307 in 2023.

Data indicates that individuals in their 60s represented the highest proportion of returning farm household heads at 37.9 percent. They were followed by those in their 50s, who made up 29.2 percent, and younger individuals under 30 years old, who comprised 13.1 percent.

Many of these urban residents reportedly relocated to farming communities post-retirement, seeking a slower-paced lifestyle in their later years.

Single-person households made up the overwhelming majority—78.7 percent—of returnee farming households last year, while two-person households constituted 15.3 percent.

Meanwhile, the number of urban families moving to coastal villages to engage in fishing fell even more sharply, plunging 22.5 percent year-over-year to just 555 households in 2024.

Among these return-to-fish households, those led by individuals in their 50s accounted for the largest share at 34.2 percent, followed by those in their 60s at 29.2 percent, and 40-somethings at 18.6 percent.

Despite the farming and fishing downturns, broader migration trends showed resilience. A total of 318,658 households relocated from cities to rural areas for reasons unrelated to agriculture or fishing—such as lifestyle changes or non-farm employment—marking a 4.0 percent increase from the previous year.

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