Korea basic livelihood benefit recipients top 2.8 million, with older adults making up 44%
More than 2.8 million people received basic livelihood benefits in Korea last year, with older adults making up the largest share and around one in 10 individuals 65 and older receiving support.
Citizens wait in line for lunch outside the Wongaksa Free Meal Center for Seniors in Tapgol Park, central Seoul, on Feb. 3, 2025.
YONHAP
More than 2.8 million people received basic livelihood benefits last year, with adults aged 65 and older accounting for four out of 10 recipients.
The number of recipients rose 6.1 percent from a year earlier to 2.84 million, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said in a report released Friday.
The National Basic Livelihood Security program provides financial support for low-income households whose recognized income falls below the eligibility threshold, helping guarantee a minimum standard of living.
Among general recipients, adults aged 65 and older made up the largest share at 1.2 million people, or 44.4 percent of the total.
Adults aged 40 to 64 followed at 31.7 percent, young adults aged 20 to 39 at 9.9 percent, teenagers aged 12 to 19 at 8.8 percent, children aged 6 to 11 at 4.0 percent and children aged 5 and younger at 1.2 percent.
General recipients accounted for 5.3 percent of Korea's total population of 51.12 million. When including residents of social welfare facilities, the share rose to 5.5 percent.
By age group, adults aged 65 and older had the highest recipient rate, with 11.2 percent receiving general livelihood benefits. In other words, more than one in 10 older adults received support under the program.
Women accounted for 1.5 million recipients, compared with 1.2 million men.
By region, North Jeolla had the highest recipient rate at 8.2 percent, followed by Busan at 7.9 percent and Gwangju at 7.6 percent.
Sejong recorded the lowest recipient rate at 2.6 percent, followed by Gyeonggi at 4 percent, Ulsan at 4.6 percent and South Chungcheong at 4.9 percent.
BY CHAE HYE-SEON [[email protected]]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
