South Korea officially becomes 'super-aged' society

Seoul: The interior ministry announced on Tuesday that South Korea, which is dealing with a demographic problem of a fast ageing population and low births, has officially become a "super-aged" society, with a share of the population 65 and older surpassing 20%.

As of Monday, the number of South Koreans aged 65 or older stood at 10.24 million, accounting for 20.0 per cent of the country's total population of 51.22 million, according to the ministry, Yonhap news agency reported.

The United Nations classifies countries where more than 7 per cent of the population is 65 or older as an ageing society, those with over 14 per cent as an aged society, and those with more than 20 per cent as a super-aged society, IANS reported.

The age group in South Korea has gradually increased over the years, standing at 4.94 million in 2008.

It accounted for 10 per cent of the population in 2008 before surpassing 15 per cent in 2019 and reaching 19.05 per cent in January this year.

As of Monday, the number of women in the age group stood at 5.69 million, compared with 4.54 million men.

The age group accounted for 27.18 per cent of the population in South Jeolla Province -- the highest among the country's major regions. The central city of Sejong had the lowest share at 11.57 per cent.

The age group accounted for 19.41 per cent of the total population in Seoul.

"By installing a population-focused ministry, fundamental and systematic response measures are urgently needed," a ministry official said in a release.

South Korea has unveiled plans to launch a new ministry of population strategy to address its demographic crisis.