Elderly Population Surpasses 8 Million
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Korea's population grew at the slowest pace in recent history but the elderly population crossed the 8 million mark for the first time.
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That brought the average age of the population to 42.6, an all-time high.
According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on Sunday, there were 51.85 million registered residents as of the end of 2019, up a mere 0.05 percent or 23,802, on-year. It was the lowest growth since data were first published in 2008.
Population growth has been declining since a peak of 1.49 percent in 2010. The average age has been growing steadily from 37 in 2008, exceeding 40 for the first time in 2014.
The economically active population, aged 15 to 64, has meanwhile plunged to 37.36 million, down 190,967 on-year, while under-14s dwindled to 6.47 million, down 161,738.
But the population over 65 grew by 376,507 to 8.3 million, widening the gap between the elderly and the young who will one day have to look after them.