Those aged 65 and older stood at 10.12 million as of November last year, accounting for 19.5 percent of the total population of 51.81 million, roughly one in five. That also brought the average age of the population to 46.2.
Amid an aging society with a super-low birthrate, the elderly population has steadily increased in recent years from 8.71 million in 2021 to 9.61 million in 2023, while the working-age population continues to dwindle.
Those aged 15 to 64 stood at 36.26 million last year, down 283,000 from a year ago, with the number of children also dropping by 199,000 to 5.42 million during the same period, further worsening the demographic imbalance.
Despite this trend, the total population rose slightly to 51.81 million, up 31,000 from the previous year, mainly due to the influx of foreigners who came here for work or study.
The number of South Koreans declined by 77,000 to 49.76 million, but the number of foreign residents increased by 108,000 to 2.04 million, surpassing 2 million for the first time. Among them, ethnic Chinese Koreans accounted for the largest number at 538,000, followed by Vietnamese at 285,000 and Chinese at 223,000.
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