▲ Senior citizens have a meal at a silver center in Seoul, in this file photo from May 21, 2024. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Oct. 1 (Yonhap) -- People aged 65 and older took up over 20 percent of South Korea's population this year amid rapid aging and the ultralow birthrate, data showed Thursday.

The number of senior citizens stood at 11.12 million in 2026, accounting for 21.6 percent of the country's 51.6 million population, according to the data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics.

The proportion makes South Korea a "super-aged society," and is to rise further to 30 percent in 2036 and over 40 percent in 2050, according to the ministry.

The number of households headed by senior citizens came to 6.5 million, accounting for 28.8 percent of all households in the country.

Of the 6.5 million households, 38 percent were single-person households, which has been increasing since 2015.

Households led by senior citizens are forecast to rise further to account for 50.6 percent of the total households in the country in 2052.

The remaining life expectancy for those aged 65 was estimated at 21.7 years on average as of 2024, with the figure for men coming to 19.5 years and 23.7 years for women.

The net assets of households headed by senior citizens came to 493 million won (US$363,000) on average in 2025, and 91.2 percent of the total elderly population received the state pension in 2024.

The employment rate among those aged 65 and older came to 39.5 percent in 2025, up 1.3 percentage points from a year earlier, and their employment rate has been on an increase since 2015.

Of those aged 65-79, 58.7 percent said they want to work in the future, and half of them cited financial issues as a reason, followed by 38.7 percent pointing to joy in work.

Asked about their quality of life, 33.7 percent of the senior citizens said they are "satisfied" with their current life in 2025, down 1.8 percentage points from a year earlier, and 29 percent said they felt proud of their social and economic achievements.

South Korea is facing grim demographic challenges as many young people opt to postpone or give up on getting married or having babies in line with changing social norms and lifestyles, as well as the tough job market and rising home prices.

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