This mixed photograph exhibits Korea’s downside of getting older inhabitants and low start charge downside. Yonhap
The variety of single-person households has climbed to a report excessive of over 8 million, information confirmed Sunday, with estimates suggesting the development will proceed because the nation grapples with a stagnant start charge and an getting older inhabitants.
The variety of single-person households got here to eight.05 million as of end-2024, accounting for 36.1 p.c of the overall, in line with a social safety factbook launched by the welfare ministry.
The determine has been on a gentle rise from 5.2 million in 2015 to six.64 million in 2020, accounting for 31.7 p.c of all households and breaching the 30 p.c mark for the primary time in historical past.
If this upward development continues, the variety of single-person households is anticipated to achieve 8.55 million in 2027, 9.71 million in 2037 and 9.94 million in 2042.
In the meantime, the variety of senior residents aged 65 or older have surpassed the ten million mark for the primary time final 12 months, with Korea coming into the “super-aged” society, because the share of its aged inhabitants surpassed 20 p.c.
