Entering an Era of 10 Million Elderly, Double the Youth Population... "Rapid Aging Means Three People Must Support One"

Last year, South Korea's elderly population aged 65 and older surpassed 20% of the total population for the first time.

According to the 2025 Population and Housing Census results released by the National Data Agency today (July 28), the elderly population reached 10,723,000, an increase of more than 600,000 from a year earlier.

On the other hand, the youth population aged 14 and under decreased to 5,225,000.

This means the elderly population has more than doubled the youth population.

The working-age population, aged 15 to 64, also decreased by 393,000 to 35,870,000.

Its share of the total population stood at 69.2%, falling below 70% for the first time since statistics began to be compiled in the current format in 2015.

This creates a demographic structure where just over three people in the working-age population must support one elderly person.

The median age, which represents the age of the person in the exact middle when the entire population is ordered by age, rose to 46.8 years, up 0.6 years in a single year.

Amid accelerating aging, the demographic shift characterized by a continuing decline in the working-age population has become even more pronounced.

The trend of remaining unmarried was also notable.

Among South Korean nationals aged 18 and older, 29.6% were unmarried, and the unmarried rate for those in their 30s in particular exceeded half at 54.7%.

Seoul recorded the highest unmarried rate nationwide at 37.1%.

Last year's total population stood at 51,817,000, an increase of 12,000, effectively remaining at a standstill.

The number of domestic nationals decreased by 54,000, marking a decline for the fifth consecutive year, but an increase of 66,000 foreign nationals prevented the overall population from shrinking.

(Reported by Choi Seung-hun | Video edited by Yoon Tae-ho | Produced by SBS Digital Newsroom)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.