With the above figure, 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 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, countries with over 7% of the population over 65 years old are considered “aging societies”, over 14% are “aged societies” and over 20% are “super-aged societies”.
A group of elderly people sang in Chilgok city, South Korea in February
PHOTO: REUTER.
As of December 23, women over 65 years old in Korea numbered 5.69 million, while men numbered 4.54 million. The proportion of elderly people varies from region to region, with South Jeolla Province leading with 27.18% and the lowest rate recorded at 11.57% in Sejong City.
Population aging is posing many challenges for the Korean government. The country’s government has announced plans to establish a new ministry of population strategy to address the demographic crisis. In 2022, South Korea said more than $200 billion had been spent on population growth efforts over 16 years. However, policies to stimulate childbirth are not enough to reverse the aging trend.
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According to CNN, experts give reasons to explain the changing demographics in Korea and Asia in general, coming from work culture, economics and rising living costs, as well as the younger generation having Views on marriage are different from previous generations.
