Recent data compiled by Korea’s agriculture ministry indicates a marked decrease in the migration from urban areas to farming and fishing villages in 2022, following a two-year uptrend induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Figures show a 12.3% decline in the number of people moving to farming villages and a 16.2% decrease in the number of households relocating to fishing villages.

This reversal in rural migration correlates with a recovery in the service sector following a surge driven by pandemic-related disruptions and rising urban housing costs. The data also reveals demographic trends among the relocating households. Of those moving to farming communities for the specific purpose of working in the agriculture industry, 75.3% were single-family households, with an average householder age of 56.4. Meanwhile, among non-farming rural migrants, 42.2% were in their 20s and 30s and the average age of householders was 45.7.