South Korea Officially Classified as 'Super-Aged' Society

One in five South Koreans is now aged 65 or older, highlighting a demographic crisis fueled by a record-low birth rate.

South Korea has reached 'super-aged' status, with 20% of its 51.2 million population aged 65 or older, according to official data released on December 24, 2024.
The country has the world’s lowest fertility rate at 0.72, far below the replacement rate of 2.1 needed to sustain population levels.
The elderly population has more than doubled since 2008 and is projected to reach 40.1% of the total population by 2050 if current trends continue.
Despite spending over $200 billion on pro-natalist policies over 16 years, initiatives like parental leave extensions and financial incentives have failed to reverse the declining birth rate.
Experts attribute the demographic crisis to factors such as high living costs, competitive work culture, gender inequality in childcare responsibilities, and changing societal attitudes toward marriage and family.