More than 5 million people, about a fifth of Korea’s economically active population, were investing in stocks as of late last year, according to data released by the Korea Exchange on Tuesday.

Some 5.28 million people were investing in stocks in Korea, up 10.2 percent from 4.79 million a year before.

The new figure accounts for 10.6 percent of the country’s population and 21.2 percent of its economically active population.

“The number of stock investors hit record high due to the stock market boom at the end of 2010 and in the first half of 2011,” an official at the Korea Exchange said.

“Women investors increased, and more people outside the Seoul metropolitan area are investing.”

It is the first time the number of stock investors topped 5 million.

About 0.6 percent of them own more than 100,000 shares and 75.5 percent of the stock market capitalization.

The number of people investing in stocks more than doubled in the past 16 years from 2.44 million in 1995.

Some 4.37 million people were investing in the KOSPI, and about 2.38 million in the tech-heavy KOSDAQ.

Women accounted for 39.2 percent of the stock investors, up 0.3 percentage points from a year earlier.

The average age of stock investors rose by 0.4 on-year to 47.4.

An average investor owned shares of 3.4 companies worth 53.38 million won. An average investor in late 2010 held shares of 2.9 companies worth 62.84 million won.

People in their 60s owned 37.4 percent of the total market capitalization in the main bourse, while those in their 50s held 32.8 percent of the market cap in the KOSDAQ market.

Foreigners owned 30.6 percent of the market cap, while 29.6 percent was held by corporations, 23.4 percent by individuals and 13 percent by institutions. The proportions owned by foreign and institutional investors shrank, while those held by individuals and corporations gained.

Investors in the Seoul metropolitan area including Gyeonggi Province and Incheon accounted for 56.6 percent of the total stock investors, down 0.5 percentage point from a year before.

The share of investors in Busan rose 0.1 percentage point to 6.5 percent, taking up 2.7 percent of the market cap, up 0.2 percentage point from a year earlier.

By Kim So-hyun (sophie@heraldcorp.com)