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Declining birth rates and aging population drives demographic shift
South Korea’s elderly population aged 70 and older surpassed those in their 20s for the first time last year, a demographic shift driven by record-low birth rates and a rapidly aging population.
The number of people aged 70 and older stood at 6.31 million in 2023, outnumbering the 6.19 million people in their 20s, according to the Ministry of Interior and Safety on Jan. 10.
In a notable reversal of demographic trends, Korea’s elderly population aged 70 and older increased by 237,614 (3.9 percent) compared to the previous year, while the number of people in their 20s decreased by 219,695 (3.4 percent) during the same period. A decade earlier, in 2014, the 70 and older age group stood at 4.44 million, significantly lower than the 6.64 million people in their 20s.
“The long-standing perception in Korean society of having more young people in their 20s than in their 70s has now been overturned,” said Cho Young-tae, a professor at Seoul National University’s Graduate School of Public Health. He anticipates that this gap will widen in the future.
www.chosun.com
South Korea’s elderly population aged 70 and older surpassed those in their 20s for the first time last year, a demographic shift driven by record-low birth rates and a rapidly aging population.
The number of people aged 70 and older stood at 6.31 million in 2023, outnumbering the 6.19 million people in their 20s, according to the Ministry of Interior and Safety on Jan. 10.
In a notable reversal of demographic trends, Korea’s elderly population aged 70 and older increased by 237,614 (3.9 percent) compared to the previous year, while the number of people in their 20s decreased by 219,695 (3.4 percent) during the same period. A decade earlier, in 2014, the 70 and older age group stood at 4.44 million, significantly lower than the 6.64 million people in their 20s.
“The long-standing perception in Korean society of having more young people in their 20s than in their 70s has now been overturned,” said Cho Young-tae, a professor at Seoul National University’s Graduate School of Public Health. He anticipates that this gap will widen in the future.
South Korea’s over 70 population overtakes 20-somethings
South Koreas over 70 population overtakes 20-somethings Declining birth rates and aging population drives demographic shift
www.chosun.com
