Home > National > Social Affairs

People 65 or older now make up more than 21% of Korea's population

Published: 04 Jan. 2026, 16:49

Older adults line up to get their free meal at the Tapgol Park in central Seoul on Dec. 24, 2025. [YONHAP]

People aged 65 or older now account for more than 21 percent of Korea’s population, officially marking the onset of a super-aged society. They also make up the largest share among single-person households, reflecting a growing trend of older adults living alone.

According to 2025 resident registration population data released by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the number of people aged 65 or older reached 10,840,822 last year, an increase of 584,040 from the previous year. This amounts to 21.21 percent of Korea’s total population of 51,117,378.

Korea entered the United Nations-designated super-aged category in 2024, when the share of those aged 65 or older first surpassed 20 percent. The UN classifies societies with older population shares of 7 percent or more as aging, 14 percent or more as aged and 20 percent or more as super-aged.

By gender, 23.39 percent of women were 65 or older, compared to 19 percent of men — a difference of 4.39 percentage points. Regionally, 18.82 percent of the population in the Seoul metropolitan area and 23.69 percent of populations outside the capital region were in that age group.

Eleven provinces and cities now have older populations exceeding 20 percent: South Jeolla at 28.46 percent, North Gyeongsang at 27.46 percent, Gangwon at 26.81 percent, North Jeolla at 26.61 percent, Busan at 25.26 percent, South Chungcheong at 23.43 percent, South Gyeongsang at 23.24 percent, North Chungcheong at 23.05 percent, Daegu at 22.07 percent, Seoul at 20.43 percent and Jeju at 20.09 percent. Both Seoul and Jeju crossed the 20 percent threshold for the first time this year.

Among Korea’s 226 cities, counties and districts, Uiseong County in North Gyeongsang had the highest older population share at 49.2 percent, followed by Gunwi District in Daegu with 48.96 percent, Hapcheon County in South Gyeongsang with 47.39 percent, Goheung County in South Jeolla with 47.25 percent and Cheongdo County in North Gyeongsang with 46.49 percent. A total of 170 districts now have older population shares above 20 percent.

An older adult is seen next to a sign, which informs visitors that smoking, drinking and other indecent acts are not allowed within the park, at Tapgol Park in central Seoul on Aug. 31, 2025. [NEWS1]

The number of single-person households has also continued to rise. Total registered households reached 24,300,087 — up 0.75 percent from the previous year — but the average household size fell to 2.1 people. Single-person households totaled 10,272,573, accounting for 42.27 percent of all households.

By age, people in their 70s or older made up the largest share of single-person households at 21.6 percent, followed by those in their 60s at 18.9 percent, 30s at 16.92 percent, 50s at 15.92 percent, 20s at 13.94 percent and 40s at 12.29 percent.

Women outnumbered men among those under 20 and over 70 living alone, while men dominated the other age groups, or people in their 20s through 60s. For men, those in their 30s accounted for the largest share of single-person households, and among women, those in their 70s or older made up the largest group.

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.
BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]