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Islands of Korea, Islands of the World A Study on Building a Statistics Database for KIDI R&D

Island Regions

1. Necessity of Research 【Proposed Development Plans】
- Short-term: Establish a database with approximately 90 items across 12 categories, including island information,
- The absence of a dedicated statistical framework for island regions has made it difficult to develop precise and
population, general society, health, welfare, and education.
effective island development policies, with current assessments based on limited data.
- Medium-term: Expand to 200 items across 17 categories.
- This study aims to lay the foundation for creating a sustainable, reliable statistics database for island regions. By
- Long-term: Achieve a comprehensive database with 320 items across 22 categories, incorporating all aspects of
defining island-specific statistics and analyzing the status of related data both domestically and internationally, the
island life and operations.
study seeks to establish a classification system and data collection structure for an island region statistics database.
【Policy Recommendations】
- Amend the Island Development Promotion Act to provide a legal basis for collecting and managing island-
specific statistical data.
2. Research Methodology
- Develop governance frameworks, guidelines, and budgets for statistical data collection, while providing training
- The study conceptualized island region statistics through a review of prior research, case studies of domestic and to raise awareness of the importance of island statistics.
international island statistics, and expert surveys with stakeholders from government agencies, local governments, - Ensure the database is not only used for data collection and archiving but also serves as a public resource,
and academia. promoting accessibility and application in policymaking and research.
- Findings informed the classification system and itemization of island region statistics, resulting in short-, medium-,
Vol.01 and long-term plans for database development.

3. Current Status of Island Statistics in Korea and Abroad
- Domestic: Current island region statistics are limited to administrative data, providing insufficient insights into key
issues such as population decline, aging, and settlement conditions. Some specialized organizations, like Korea
Electric Power Corporation and Korea Shipping Association, maintain domain-specific data. Collaboration with such
organizations is necessary to secure comprehensive island statistics.
- International: Other countries have developed reliable administrative statistics for island regions using detailed
guidelines, integration with population censuses, and specialized institutions. Korea can adopt similar practices to
improve the reliability and comprehensiveness of its island statistics.

4. Development Plans and Policy Recommendations for the Statistics Database
【Definition and Conceptual Framework】
- Islands are conceptualized as spatial entities, with island statistics defined as “quantitative measures of diverse
tangible and intangible elements—social, economic, cultural, and environmental—within the spatial boundaries of
island regions.”
- Expert consultations identified key statistical areas—such as population, transportation/logistics, health, and
welfare—as foundational for policy-making. These areas should be prioritized for immediate development using
administrative data, with gradual expansion to other fields and island-specific topics (including derived and survey-
based statistics).

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