Seoul [South Korea], December 25: According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety of South Korea, there are currently more than 10 million people aged 65 and over in the country, accounting for about 20% of the population.
With the above figures, South Korean officials announced that the country has officially become a "super-aged" society according to the United Nations' classification when the proportion of the population aged 65 and over exceeds 20%. This age group in South Korea in 2008 accounted for 10% of the population, increased to 15% in 2019 and reached 19% in January this year, Yonhap News Agency reported on December 24.
According to the United Nations classification, a country with more than 7% of its population aged 65 and over is considered an " aging society ", more than 14% is an "aged society" and more than 20% is a "super-aged society".
As of December 23, there were 5.69 million women aged 65 and over in South Korea, while there were 4.54 million men. The proportion of elderly people varies by region, with South Jeolla Province leading at 27.18% and Sejong City recording the lowest rate of 11.57%.
The aging population is posing many challenges for the South Korean government. The government has announced plans to establish a new ministry of population strategy to address the demographic crisis . In 2022, South Korea said that more than $200 billion had been spent on population growth efforts over the past 16 years. However, policies to stimulate childbirth have not been enough to reverse the aging trend.
According to CNN, experts give reasons to explain the demographic changes in Korea and Asia in general, coming from working culture, the economy and rising living costs, as well as the younger generation having different views on marriage than the previous generation.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper