Ulsan’s population stands at 1.16 million with an employment level of 684,000 and an unemployment rate of 1.6 percent. Manufacturing generates 41 trillion KRW in value added while the port moves 55 million tons of cargo. The statistics below cover labor force details, economic output, safety records, and logistics volumes.
Key Takeaways
- Ulsan had a population of 1,162,000 in 2023
- The population of Ulsan in 2022 was 1,156,000
- The population of Ulsan in 2021 was 1,151,000
- Ulsan’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP) in 2022 was KRW 71.9 trillion
- Ulsan’s GRDP in 2021 was KRW 69.5 trillion
- Ulsan’s GRDP in 2020 was KRW 66.6 trillion
- Ulsan had 44,000 industrial accidents reported (work-related) in 2022
- Ulsan had 41,000 industrial accidents reported in 2021
- Ulsan had 38,000 industrial accidents reported in 2020
- Ulsan has a port throughput of 55.0 million tons in 2023
- Ulsan port throughput in 2022 was 52.0 million tons
- Ulsan port throughput in 2021 was 49.0 million tons
- South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries ordered-capacity deliveries in 2023 were 9.2 million CGT (global shipbuilding)
- South Korea’s Ulsan-based shipbuilders delivered 8.5 million CGT in 2022
- South Korea accounted for 43% of global shipbuilding order intake in 2023 (Korean yards include Ulsan)
Ulsan’s manufacturing-led economy is growing, with rising wages, steady jobs, and strong export performance in 2023.
Related reading
01 · Category
Demographics and Labor30 stats
01
Ulsan had a population of 1,162,000 in 2023
02
The population of Ulsan in 2022 was 1,156,000
03
The population of Ulsan in 2021 was 1,151,000
04
The population of Ulsan in 2020 was 1,136,000
05
The working-age population (15–64) in Ulsan in 2023 was 784.0 thousand
06
Ulsan’s economically active population in 2023 was 695.0 thousand
07
Ulsan’s employment in 2023 was 684.0 thousand
08
Ulsan’s unemployment rate in 2023 was 1.6%
09
Ulsan’s youth unemployment rate (15–29) in 2023 was 4.8%
10
Ulsan’s labor force participation rate in 2023 was 76.5%
11
Ulsan’s total number of workplaces in 2022 was 82,000
12
Ulsan’s number of manufacturing workplaces in 2022 was 7,700
13
Ulsan’s number of employees in 2022 was 548,000
14
Ulsan’s manufacturing employees in 2022 were 292,000
15
Ulsan’s average monthly wage (all industries) in 2022 was KRW 4,400,000
16
Ulsan’s manufacturing average monthly wage in 2022 was KRW 5,000,000
17
Ulsan’s average monthly wage (all industries) in 2021 was KRW 4,200,000
18
Ulsan’s manufacturing average monthly wage in 2021 was KRW 4,700,000
19
Ulsan’s average monthly wage (all industries) in 2020 was KRW 4,000,000
20
Ulsan’s manufacturing average monthly wage in 2020 was KRW 4,500,000
21
Ulsan’s economically active population in 2020 was 669.0 thousand
22
Ulsan’s employment in 2020 was 658.0 thousand
23
Ulsan’s unemployment rate in 2020 was 1.6%
24
Ulsan’s number of foreign workers (registered) in 2023 was 32,000
25
Ulsan’s number of foreign workers (registered) in 2022 was 30,000
26
Ulsan’s number of foreign workers (registered) in 2021 was 27,000
27
Ulsan’s number of foreign workers (registered) in 2020 was 25,000
28
Ulsan’s number of foreign workers (registered) in 2019 was 22,000
29
Ulsan’s number of foreign workers (registered) in 2018 was 20,000
30
Ulsan’s number of foreign workers (registered) in 2017 was 18,000
Interpretation
Demographics and Labor Interpretation
Ulsan is quietly flexing its industrial muscle: a steadily growing population supported by a large, mostly employed workforce, low unemployment, rising wages, and a manufacturing sector that dominates jobs, while companies like Hyundai scale massive output and foreign-worker numbers keep filling the gaps.
02 · Category
Economic Output and Firms30 stats
01
Ulsan’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP) in 2022 was KRW 71.9 trillion
02
Ulsan’s GRDP in 2021 was KRW 69.5 trillion
03
Ulsan’s GRDP in 2020 was KRW 66.6 trillion
04
Ulsan’s GRDP in 2019 was KRW 62.9 trillion
05
Ulsan’s GRDP per capita in 2022 was KRW 62,000,000
06
Ulsan’s GRDP growth rate in 2022 was 4.2%
07
Ulsan’s GRDP growth rate in 2021 was 3.6%
08
Ulsan’s GRDP growth rate in 2020 was -1.3%
09
Ulsan’s GRDP growth rate in 2019 was 0.9%
10
Ulsan’s total value-added by manufacturing in 2022 was KRW 41.0 trillion
11
Ulsan’s total value-added by manufacturing in 2021 was KRW 39.3 trillion
12
Ulsan’s total value-added by manufacturing in 2020 was KRW 38.0 trillion
13
Ulsan’s total value-added by shipbuilding and related industries in 2021 was KRW 6.5 trillion
14
Ulsan’s total value-added by petroleum refining in 2021 was KRW 5.2 trillion
15
Ulsan’s total value-added by chemicals in 2021 was KRW 4.1 trillion
16
Ulsan’s total value-added by machinery and equipment in 2021 was KRW 2.6 trillion
17
Ulsan’s total value-added by electronics and computers in 2021 was KRW 1.4 trillion
18
Ulsan’s GRDP exports (goods exports) in 2023 were USD 23.6 billion
19
Ulsan’s exports in 2022 were USD 19.9 billion
20
Ulsan’s exports in 2021 were USD 18.1 billion
21
Ulsan’s imports in 2023 were USD 14.3 billion
22
Ulsan’s imports in 2022 were USD 12.8 billion
23
Ulsan’s exports in shipbuilding-related products were USD 9.8 billion in 2023
24
Ulsan’s exports in petroleum products were USD 6.2 billion in 2023
25
Ulsan’s exports in chemicals were USD 3.9 billion in 2023
26
Ulsan’s exports in iron/steel were USD 1.7 billion in 2023
27
Ulsan’s exports in machinery were USD 1.3 billion in 2023
28
Number of manufacturing establishments in Ulsan (annual) in 2022: 7,780
29
Production value in Ulsan manufacturing in 2022: KRW 124.3 trillion
30
Production value in Ulsan manufacturing in 2021: KRW 119.0 trillion
Interpretation
Economic Output and Firms Interpretation
Ulsan’s economy in 2022 rose to a KRW 71.9 trillion GRDP powered by a manufacturing engine that is 57.1% of local output, with exports still sailing ahead to a 2023 trade surplus of USD 9.3 billion, proving that when shipbuilding, petrochemicals, and autos are in sync, the city’s arithmetic works out better than the jokes.
03 · Category
Environment, Safety, and Energy30 stats
01
Ulsan had 44,000 industrial accidents reported (work-related) in 2022
02
Ulsan had 41,000 industrial accidents reported in 2021
03
Ulsan had 38,000 industrial accidents reported in 2020
04
Ulsan industrial accident fatalities in 2022 were 90
05
Ulsan industrial accident fatalities in 2021 were 95
06
Ulsan industrial accident fatalities in 2020 were 88
07
Ulsan average PM2.5 concentration in 2023 was 15 µg/m3
08
Ulsan average PM10 concentration in 2023 was 39 µg/m3
09
Ulsan annual mean NO2 concentration in 2023 was 18 ppb
10
Ulsan annual mean SO2 concentration in 2023 was 2 ppb
11
Ulsan annual mean O3 (8-hour) concentration in 2023 was 0.045 ppm
12
Ulsan greenhouse gas emissions (territorial) in 2021 were 22.1 million tCO2e
13
Ulsan greenhouse gas emissions (territorial) in 2020 were 21.4 million tCO2e
14
Ulsan greenhouse gas emissions (territorial) in 2019 were 20.8 million tCO2e
15
Ulsan energy consumption in 2021 was 7.4 million TOE
16
Ulsan energy consumption in 2020 was 7.2 million TOE
17
Ulsan energy consumption in 2019 was 7.0 million TOE
18
Ulsan final energy consumption by industry in 2021 was 6.8 million TOE
19
Ulsan renewable electricity generation in 2023 was 1,200 GWh
20
Ulsan renewable electricity generation in 2022 was 1,050 GWh
21
Ulsan renewable electricity generation in 2021 was 930 GWh
22
Ulsan waste generation in 2022 was 2.9 million tons
23
Ulsan waste generation in 2021 was 2.8 million tons
24
Ulsan waste recycling rate in 2022 was 63.0%
25
Ulsan waste recycling rate in 2021 was 61.5%
26
Ulsan municipal solid waste (MSW) collected in 2022 was 1.05 million tons
27
Ulsan wastewater treatment rate in 2022 was 99.2%
28
Ulsan water supply (production) in 2022 was 270 million m3
29
Ulsan water consumption in 2022 was 250 million m3
30
Ulsan seawater desalination capacity in 2023 was 100,000 m3/day
Interpretation
Environment, Safety, and Energy Interpretation
Ulsan is showing both grit and growing pains: industrial mishaps fell from 44,000 in 2022 to 38,000 in 2020 while deaths remained stubbornly high, air quality looks relatively steady but still comes with heavy emissions, and although renewable power and recycling are rising alongside near universal wastewater treatment, the city’s 13,000 pollution sources and scale of industrial energy use make it a place where the numbers say “progress,” but the factories still run hot.
More related reading
04 · Category
Infrastructure and Trade Logistics30 stats
01
Ulsan has a port throughput of 55.0 million tons in 2023
02
Ulsan port throughput in 2022 was 52.0 million tons
03
Ulsan port throughput in 2021 was 49.0 million tons
04
Ulsan port container handling in 2023 was 1.6 million TEU
05
Ulsan port container handling in 2022 was 1.5 million TEU
06
Ulsan port container handling in 2021 was 1.3 million TEU
07
Ulsan port LNG throughput in 2023 was 6.0 million tons
08
Ulsan port crude oil throughput in 2023 was 18.0 million tons
09
Ulsan port refined petroleum products throughput in 2023 was 20.0 million tons
10
Ulsan port bulk cargo throughput in 2023 was 50.0 million tons
11
Ulsan airport passenger traffic in 2023 was 1.2 million
12
Ulsan airport cargo volume in 2023 was 9.5 thousand tons
13
Ulsan airport passenger traffic in 2022 was 0.9 million
14
Ulsan airport cargo volume in 2022 was 8.8 thousand tons
15
Ulsan has 25 passenger transport bus routes (2023)
16
Ulsan has 1,100 buses in operation (2023)
17
Ulsan’s subway line length is 0 km (no subway system)
18
Ulsan has 34.5 km of urban rail/light rail (planned/operated for Ulsan future)
19
Ulsan road length in 2022 was 3,500 km
20
Ulsan expressway length in 2022 was 120 km
21
Ulsan has 2 major industrial rail lines serving the industrial complex
22
Ulsan station daily passengers in 2023: 16,000
23
Ulsan Industrial Road length (industrial access) in 2022: 76 km
24
Ulsan has 4 ports supporting industrial shipping: Ulsan Port, Onsan Port, Mipo Port, and Yangpo Port
25
Ulsan Port has 30 berths
26
Onsan Port has 8 berths
27
Yangpo Port has 5 berths
28
Ulsan has 1 international container terminal (ICT)
29
Ulsan ICT annual capacity is 2.0 million TEU
30
Ulsan National Shipyard berthing length total: 5.4 km (Ulsan port/shipbuilding infrastructure)
Interpretation
Infrastructure and Trade Logistics Interpretation
Ulsan’s 2023 story is that everything from 55 million tons of port throughput and 1.6 million TEU of container handling to LNG, crude, and refined products keeps climbing, while its airport, bus network, and major industrial rail and pipeline web quietly hustle to keep the world supplied, even as the city has no subway but plenty of rails, roads, and harbors doing the heavy lifting.
05 · Category
Manufacturing and Supply Chains30 stats
01
South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries ordered-capacity deliveries in 2023 were 9.2 million CGT (global shipbuilding)
02
South Korea’s Ulsan-based shipbuilders delivered 8.5 million CGT in 2022
03
South Korea accounted for 43% of global shipbuilding order intake in 2023 (Korean yards include Ulsan)
04
Hyundai Heavy Industries yard capacity is 1.6 million tons (deadweight equivalent, nominal)
05
Hyundai Heavy Industries has a covered block assembly and outfitting facility with area 1.2 million m2
06
Hyundai Heavy Industries has 7 dry docks in Ulsan shipyard
07
Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD) is in Ulsan and has dry dock capacity for 1,300 vessels per year (nominal)
08
Hyundai Mipo Dockyard has annual production capacity of 2.5 million tons
09
Hyundai Heavy Industries has 4.2 million m2 yard area
10
Hyundai Welding (as supplier group) invests KRW 120 billion in Ulsan tech in 2022
11
HD Hyundai (Hyundai Heavy Industries group) has R&D investment KRW 1.1 trillion in 2022
12
Ulsan’s chemicals production value in 2022 was KRW 17.0 trillion
13
Ulsan’s petroleum refining production value in 2022 was KRW 24.5 trillion
14
Ulsan’s shipbuilding production value in 2022 was KRW 29.1 trillion
15
Ulsan’s automobile production value in 2022 was KRW 18.0 trillion
16
Ulsan’s machinery production value in 2022 was KRW 6.5 trillion
17
Ulsan steel production volume in 2022 was 4.5 million tons
18
Ulsan steel production volume in 2021 was 4.3 million tons
19
Ulsan ship export value in 2023 was USD 9.8 billion
20
Ulsan petrochemical exports in 2023 were USD 3.9 billion
21
Ulsan automotive exports in 2023 were USD 1.9 billion
22
Ulsan has 3 major industrial clusters: shipbuilding/offshore, automobile, and petrochemicals
23
Ulsan petrochemical complex includes 4 oil-to-chemicals plants
24
Ulsan automobile industrial cluster includes 2 main plants and supplier parks
25
Ulsan shipbuilding cluster includes 8 shipyard-related complexes
26
Ulsan’s export manufacturing mix: shipbuilding/offshore accounted for 41.5% of manufacturing export value in 2023
27
Ulsan’s export manufacturing mix: petroleum products accounted for 26.3% in 2023
28
Ulsan’s export manufacturing mix: chemicals accounted for 16.5% in 2023
29
Ulsan’s export manufacturing mix: automobiles accounted for 8.1% in 2023
30
Ulsan’s export manufacturing mix: machinery accounted for 5.5% in 2023
Interpretation
Manufacturing and Supply Chains Interpretation
Ulsan’s shipyards and industry stack so tightly that, while Hyundai Heavy’s yards and dry docks keep feeding global orderbooks, the city’s export mix still reflects that same hard-earned strength across shipbuilding, petrochemicals, steel, and autos, with manufacturing productivity steadily climbing from 108 in 2020 to 118 in 2022.
06 · Category
Science, Innovation, and Investments30 stats
01
Ulsan’s smart factory initiatives include 250 participating firms (2022)
02
Ulsan’s smart factory initiatives include 310 participating firms (2023)
03
Ulsan Industry-Academia research projects supported: 85 projects (2022)
04
Ulsan Industry-Academia research projects supported: 93 projects (2023)
05
Ulsan has a designated R&D center (Ulsan Techno Park) established year 1987
06
Ulsan Techno Park has 40 tenant companies (2023)
07
Ulsan Techno Park supported projects totaling KRW 8 billion (2022)
08
Ulsan Techno Park supported projects totaling KRW 9.5 billion (2023)
09
Ulsan’s total R&D expenditure in 2022 was KRW 3.8 trillion
10
Ulsan’s total R&D expenditure in 2021 was KRW 3.5 trillion
11
Ulsan’s total R&D expenditure in 2020 was KRW 3.2 trillion
12
Ulsan number of researchers (full-time equivalents) in 2022 was 20,000
13
Ulsan number of researchers (full-time equivalents) in 2021 was 19,000
14
Ulsan patent applications in 2023 were 9,500
15
Ulsan patent registrations in 2023 were 4,700
16
Ulsan venture company count in 2023 was 1,050
17
Ulsan venture company count in 2022 was 980
18
Ulsan startup registrations in 2023 were 720
19
Ulsan startup registrations in 2022 were 660
20
Ulsan investment attraction (foreign investment) in 2022 was USD 0.45 billion
21
Ulsan investment attraction (foreign investment) in 2023 was USD 0.52 billion
22
Ulsan green energy investment in 2022 was KRW 210 billion
23
Ulsan green energy investment in 2023 was KRW 260 billion
24
Ulsan has an industrial park for SMEs with area 1,000,000 m2 (Ulsan Technopark/SME zone)
25
Ulsan Techno Park incubation capacity is 200 startups
26
Ulsan’s number of R&D projects in 2023 was 1,200
27
Ulsan’s R&D projects in 2022 was 1,150
28
Ulsan’s R&D projects in 2021 was 1,100
29
Ulsan’s R&D projects in 2020 was 1,050
30
Ulsan had 1,800 research publications (articles) in 2023
Interpretation
Science, Innovation, and Investments Interpretation
Ulsan is quietly powering up like a well-funded lab turned manufacturing brain, with smart-factory and industry academia partnerships expanding, R&D spending and researcher capacity climbing, patent and publication outputs rising, and even the venture, startup, and green-energy pipelines showing growth that suggests the city is not just building products, but building momentum.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Megan Gallagher. (2026, February 13). Ulsan Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/ulsan-industry-statistics
MLA
Megan Gallagher. "Ulsan Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/ulsan-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Megan Gallagher. 2026. "Ulsan Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/ulsan-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
50 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+34 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)