Senior poverty still on the rise, gov't data shows

Older adults line up at a soup kitchen outside Tapgol Park in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Feb. 3.

The poverty rate among older adults has worsened for two consecutive years, according to data the Ministry of Health and Welfare and Statistics Korea released the same day. Around 38.2 percent of people 65 and older were living in poverty, based on disposable income, in 2023, compared to the country's overall relative rate of 14.9 percent.