South Korea has become a "super-aged" society with one in five people aged 65 or older, official data showed Tuesday, underscoring the country's deepening demographic crisis.

The number of people aged 65 and older stands at 10.24 million, accounting¹ for 20% of South Korea's population of 51 million, according to new data released by the Ministry² of the Interior and Safety.

The United Nations classifies countries with more than 7% of the population 65 or older as an "aging society," those with over 14% as an "aged society" and those with more than 20% as a "super-aged" society.



South Korea has been grappling with infamously³ low birth rates, dropping to just 0.72 in 2023, the world's lowest, after years of decline.



Countries need a fertility rate of 2.1 to maintain a stable population, in the absence of immigration.