Four out of 10 individuals in Korea were registered land owners as of last year, but the total size of land they owned shrank from a year earlier, government data showed Wednesday.

According to the data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, 20.12 million people, or 39.4 percent of the country's registered population of 51.22 million, owned land as of the end of 2025.

The tally represents an increase of 470,000, or 2.4 percent, from the previous year.

But the size of land owned by the individuals dropped to 46,127 square kilometers, down 0.3 percent year-on-year.

By age group, 30 percent of people in their 60s owned land, followed by those in their 70s at 22 percent and 50s at 20.5 percent.

Men made up 54.3 percent of all landowners, while women accounted for 45.7 percent. Women's land ownership has steadily grown since 2022, the data also showed.

The total area of land owned by corporations inched up 0.8 percent from a year earlier, while that owned by non-corporate entities, such as religious groups, remained unchanged, according to the data.