How many Australians travel to South Korea?
Australians took 149,190 trips to South Korea in the 12 months to August 2026, making it the number 18 overseas destination for Australian travellers and 1.2% of all overseas trips.
Australians now take substantially more trips to South Korea than before the pandemic: 188.6% of the 2018-19 figure, which is one of the strongest gains of any destination.
South Korea at a glance
Counts trips, not people: someone who goes twice is counted twice. Each trip is attributed to the one country the traveller nominated as its main destination, so a stopover on the way somewhere else is not counted separately. Trips are recorded as travellers arrive home, which puts a Christmas holiday in the January figures.
Australian trips to South Korea over time
It has climbed 7 places since 2018-19, when it ranked 25.
When Australians go to South Korea
Travel to South Korea has a clear high season: October carries 11.8% of the year, noticeably above the 8.3% an even month would hold. August is the quietest.
See the monthly figures as a table
| Month | Share of the year |
|---|---|
| Jan | 11.1% |
| Feb | 5.4% |
| Mar | 5.8% |
| Apr | 10.8% |
| May | 9.1% |
| Jun | 8.3% |
| Jul | 7.4% |
| Aug | 4.8% |
| Sep | 7.9% |
| Oct | 11.8% |
| Nov | 10.3% |
| Dec | 7.3% |
Going to South Korea?
The statistics say when everyone else is going. The South Korea guide covers what you need before you fly: visa and entry requirements for Australian passport holders, and comparisons for eSIMs, travel insurance and travel money.
Planning South Korea?
We will send you the South Korea guide as it grows - what to book before you go, which eSIM and travel card are worth it there, and what things actually cost in Australian dollars.
Use this data
Free to reuse, including commercially, with attribution. The underlying counts are the ABS's under a CC BY 4.0 licence; the derived figures on this page - share, recovery, rank movement and seasonality - are ours, offered on the same terms.
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Cite this page
Before You Fly (2026). Australian travel to South Korea. Derived from Australian Bureau of Statistics, Overseas Arrivals and Departures, Australia. Retrieved from https://beforeyoufly.com.au/travel-statistics/south-korea/
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South Korea travel statistics FAQs
How many Australians travel to South Korea each year?
149,190 trips were taken by Australian residents to South Korea in the 12 months to August 2026, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures. That is 1.2% of all short-term overseas travel by Australians, ranking South Korea number 18 among destinations. The count is of trips rather than individual people.
When is the busiest time for Australians to visit South Korea?
October is the busiest month for Australian trips to South Korea, carrying 11.8% of the year, while August is the quietest. Because the ABS counts trips as travellers arrive home, departures cluster slightly earlier than the peak month suggests.
Are more Australians visiting South Korea than before the pandemic?
Yes. Australian trips to South Korea are running at 188.6% of the 2018-19 figure, the last full financial year before the pandemic. It has climbed 7 places since 2018-19, when it ranked 25.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Overseas Arrivals and Departures, short-term resident returns by country of main destination. Used under a CC BY 4.0 licence. Refreshed 20 October 2026, covering data to August 2026. All Australian travel statistics.