Over 1 in 5 South Koreans aged 65 or older as country deepens into super-aged society

A little over one in every five South Koreans were aged 65 or older in 2025, official data showed Sunday, as the country moved deeper into the "super-aged society" category.

Figures from the Interior Ministry showed that about 10.84 million people in this age group accounted for 21.21% of the total population of roughly 51.11 million.

The data indicated that 23.39% of women were aged 65 and above, compared with 19% of men, according to the Yonhap news agency. Regionally, seniors made up 18.82% of the population in the capital area, while the share rose to 23.69% in other parts of the country.

The ministry said that in 11 provinces and cities, including Seoul, the proportion of people aged 65 and older exceeded 20% for the first time.

The statistics also showed growth in single-person households, which increased by around 1.5% from the previous year to reach 10.27 million in 2025, representing about 42% of all households. Of these, 21.6%-or 2.21 million-were individuals aged 70 and above, while 18.9% were in their 60s.

The UN classifies a country as "super-aged" when more than 20% of its population is 65 or older, a threshold South Korea crossed in 2024.