More Elderly People Care for Even Older Parents

Published on 2015/01/31 | Source

A woman in her 70s takes care of her 101-year-old mother.

A growing number of people in their 60s are taking care of parents who are in their 80s and 90s as Korean society ages.

National Health Insurance Service data for 2013 showed that 142,065 households in the nation were headed by an elderly person over 60. An NHIS official said Wednesday although 2014 statistics are not available yet, the number is estimated to have grown to around 150,000.

"We're seeing a rise in the number of people over 85, so there'll also be a marked increase in people in their 60s taking care of their parents who are in their 80s and 90s".

Some 498,321 people were over 85 at the end of 2014, up from 455,785 on-year.

According to Statistics Korea, the number of people 85 or older is expected to double to 1.16 million by 2025 because Koreans are living longer than ever.

The average life span of Koreans rose from 66.2 in 1980 to 76 in 2000 and 80.8 in 2010.

The increase in elderly households has also led to more cases of abuse of the elderly or suicide due to poverty, according to Cho Young-tae at Seoul National University.