Monthly average lifestyle population in 16 depopulation zones reaches 3.91 million
Transient visitors number 3.21 million; revisit rate and length of stay exceed national averages
South Jeolla Province is showing new promise for regional revitalization through a shift toward population policy centered on "lifestyle population" — a broader measure that counts not only registered residents but also people who regularly spend time in an area.
The provincial government said an analysis of the fourth-quarter 2025 lifestyle population figures released by the Ministry of Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Statistics found that the monthly average lifestyle population across 16 depopulation zones in South Jeolla Province stood at 3.91 million.
Lifestyle population combines the registered resident count with transient visitors — those who stay in an area for commuting, studying, tourism or other purposes — and serves as a baseline for comparing regions and designing population policy.
The latest figures show South Jeolla Province's registered population at 700,000, with transient visitors reaching 3.21 million — a ratio of 4.6 transient visitors for every registered resident.
South Jeolla Province outperformed the national average on five of eight key lifestyle population indicators: a revisit rate of 40.8 percent, an average length of stay of 3.3 days, an average overnight stay of 3.7 days, a share of out-of-province visitors at 72.8 percent, and average per-person card spending of 125,000 won (about $81).
Officials said the figures show that visits to South Jeolla Province go beyond simple tourism, extending into longer stays, local spending and repeat visits — indicators that support the potential for lifestyle population growth and regional economic vitalization.
The province drew up its "2050 South Jeolla Province Population Grand Transition Comprehensive Plan" in 2024, laying out a policy shift toward lifestyle population. In 2025, it unveiled the "Population Grand Transition Season 2: Lifestyle Population Vivid Project," making lifestyle population expansion a core provincial priority.
To build consensus with city and county governments, the province held three population policy workshops — in August and December last year and in March this year — sharing strategies and best practices for growing the lifestyle population.
This year, the province has moved into full implementation of the Lifestyle Population Vivid Project. Built around three strategic pillars — connection, inflow and growth — the project comprises 20 core initiatives and 100 detailed programs, with a focus on creating a virtuous cycle that moves people from occasional visitors to regular participants to permanent residents.
The province is also running a "Lifestyle Population Growth Project" tailored to the characteristics and resources of individual cities and counties. Plans call for extending visitors' time in the region and encouraging local spending and return visits through area-specific programs in tourism, sports, agricultural and fishing village migration, workcation and hands-on experiences.
"The longer transient visitors stay in a region, the more local spending and exchange occur, and the more vibrant the region becomes," said Yun Yeon-hwa, director of South Jeolla Province's Population, Youth and Immigration Bureau. "We will expand policies that support lifestyle population inflow and local settlement in cooperation with cities and counties."
South Jeolla Province plans to use lifestyle population data to continuously develop policies suited to each city and county's characteristics, building a virtuous cycle in which lifestyle population converts into regular participants and permanent residents as a response to the threat of regional depopulation.
kkm9971@heraldcorp.com
