Seoul's Population Issues: Analysis of District Rankings and Foreigner Ratios

1. Seoul District Population Rankings (As of July 2025) The total population of Seoul is estimated at approximately 9.336 million people. The population distribution across the districts is as follows:

Top 3 Most Populous Districts:

1st: Songpa-gu (~648,000 people)

2nd: Gangnam-gu (~557,000 people)

3rd: Gangseo-gu (~554,000 people)

These three districts alone account for about 18.84% of Seoul's total population.

Top 3 Least Populous Districts:

25th (Last): Jung-gu

24th: Jongno-gu

23rd: Yongsan-gu

These areas are primarily located in downtown Seoul, and their low residential population is due to a high concentration of offices and commercial facilities.

2. Percentage Breakdown by Rank Based on Seoul's total population of approximately 9.336 million, here is the percentage for each of the top-ranked districts:

1st Songpa-gu: ~6.94%

2nd Gangnam-gu: ~5.96%

3rd Gangseo-gu: ~5.93%

3. The Difference in Foreigner Resident Ratios In contrast to the overall population rankings, the distribution of foreign residents shows a different pattern.

1st in Foreigner Ratio: Jung-gu

Jung-gu has the lowest total population among all districts, yet its foreigner resident ratio is the highest in Seoul, at about 8.64%.

Top Districts by Number of Foreigners:

Yeongdeungpo-gu and Guro-gu have the highest number of foreign residents, with about a quarter of Seoul's total foreign population living in these two areas.

Districts with a Low Foreigner Ratio:

Districts with large overall populations, such as Nowon-gu and Yangcheon-gu, have a relatively low percentage of foreign residents.

In conclusion, while Seoul's population is heavily concentrated in the southeast and Gangnam regions, the distribution of foreign residents is different, being concentrated in downtown areas or specific living zones.