Population aged 65 and over — all countries

Population aged 65 and over — South Korea

Population aged 65 and over in South Korea in 2025 — 10,507,688 people. Ranked 17 in the world out of 217. Since 1960, the indicator has risen by 1,242.3%.

2025 10.51M people +5.35% vs 2024
World rank 17of 217
Period maximum 10.51M people2025
Period minimum 782,829 people1960

Trend over time

1960–2025 · people

Population aged 65 and over — South Korea, 1960–202505M10M15M19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 782,829 people1962: 852,304 people1964: 912,657 people1966: 963,684 people1968: 1,021,512 people1970: 1,082,973 people1972: 1,166,638 people1974: 1,239,769 people1976: 1,306,014 people1978: 1,378,104 people1980: 1,458,976 people1982: 1,576,564 people1984: 1,676,202 people1986: 1,801,566 people1988: 1,943,750 people1990: 2,094,297 people1992: 2,271,494 people1994: 2,482,722 people1996: 2,717,452 people1998: 2,995,014 people2000: 3,333,369 people2002: 3,723,944 people2004: 4,135,512 people2006: 4,563,164 people2008: 5,027,199 people2010: 5,446,837 people2012: 5,875,088 people2014: 6,356,227 people2016: 6,844,288 people2018: 7,456,298 people2020: 8,201,616 people2022: 9,034,766 people2024: 9,974,248 people2025: 10,507,688 people
Change over the period: +9.72M (+1,242.27%) Average annual rate: 4.08 %

Comparison, 2025

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: South Korea

South Korea 10.51M people
World 855M people
East Asia & Pacific 333M people
Eastern Asia computed 263M people
High-income countries computed 278M people
Population aged 65 and over — South Korea, by year South Korea All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2025 10.51M +533,440 +5.35%
2024 9.97M +492,727 +5.2%
2023 9.48M +446,755 +4.94%
2022 9.03M +410,147 +4.76%
2021 8.62M +423,003 +5.16%
2020 8.2M +404,028 +5.18%
2019 7.8M +341,290 +4.58%
2018 7.46M +330,477 +4.64%
2017 7.13M +281,533 +4.11%
2016 6.84M +235,462 +3.56%
2015 6.61M +252,599 +3.97%
2014 6.36M +255,772 +4.19%
2013 6.1M +225,367 +3.84%
2012 5.88M +207,088 +3.65%
2011 5.67M +221,163 +4.06%
2010 5.45M +213,729 +4.08%
2009 5.23M +205,909 +4.1%
2008 5.03M +228,402 +4.76%
2007 4.8M +235,633 +5.16%
2006 4.56M +226,364 +5.22%
2005 4.34M +201,288 +4.87%
2004 4.14M +207,755 +5.29%
2003 3.93M +203,813 +5.47%
2002 3.72M +197,265 +5.59%
2001 3.53M +193,310 +5.8%
2000 3.33M +182,874 +5.8%
1999 3.15M +155,481 +5.19%
1998 3M +141,435 +4.96%
1997 2.85M +136,127 +5.01%
1996 2.72M +118,262 +4.55%
1995 2.6M +116,468 +4.69%
1994 2.48M +111,474 +4.7%
1993 2.37M +99,754 +4.39%
1992 2.27M +94,568 +4.34%
1991 2.18M +82,629 +3.95%
1990 2.09M +74,029 +3.66%
1989 2.02M +76,518 +3.94%
1988 1.94M +72,982 +3.9%
1987 1.87M +69,202 +3.84%
1986 1.8M +69,370 +4%
1985 1.73M +55,994 +3.34%
1984 1.68M +45,836 +2.81%
1983 1.63M +53,802 +3.41%
1982 1.58M +62,709 +4.14%
1981 1.51M +54,879 +3.76%
1980 1.46M +42,521 +3%
1979 1.42M +38,351 +2.78%
1978 1.38M +36,314 +2.71%
1977 1.34M +35,776 +2.74%
1976 1.31M +33,273 +2.61%
1975 1.27M +32,972 +2.66%
1974 1.24M +35,815 +2.97%
1973 1.2M +37,316 +3.2%
1972 1.17M +41,279 +3.67%
1971 1.13M +42,386 +3.91%
1970 1.08M +34,755 +3.32%
1969 1.05M +26,706 +2.61%
1968 1.02M +30,333 +3.06%
1967 991,179 +27,495 +2.85%
1966 963,684 +24,846 +2.65%
1965 938,838 +26,181 +2.87%
1964 912,657 +26,875 +3.03%
1963 885,782 +33,478 +3.93%
1962 852,304 +35,968 +4.41%
1961 816,336 +33,507 +4.28%
1960 782,829

Eastern Asia, 2025

The same indicator for neighboring countries — with links to their pages

About the indicator

The population aged 65 and over. In absolute numbers this group is growing faster than any other: it expands both from the rise in life expectancy and from the entry of the large cohorts born in the middle of the 20th century. Japan and Italy lead by share of population, China and India by absolute number, and the divergence of the two rankings shows where the load on health care and pensions is larger in scale and where it is sharper.

Important: The threshold of 65 years is an international convention and is not tied to the retirement age of any particular country.

Source: World Population Prospects (UN), license CC BY 3.0 IGO.