Recently, South Korean Ministry of the Interior and Safety has formally declared that South Korea has become a “super-aged” society as the share of its population aged 65 or over surpassed 20%.
- This makes South Korea only the second country in Asia, after Japan, to become a ‘Super-Aged’ Society.
- According to the UN, a country is defined as "aging" when the share of people aged 65+ is above 7%, "aged" when it is 14% or more, and “super-aged” when it exceeds 20%.
Status of Ageing
World
- Global population aged 60+ was 1 billion in 2020, projected to reach 2.1 billion by 2050.
- Population aging, initially seen in high-income countries like Japan, is accelerating in low- and middle-income countries, where two-thirds of the elderly will live by 2050.
India
- India's elderly population will exceed 20% of the total by 2050. (UNFPA 2023)
Challenges with ageing society
- Economic: Shrinking workforce, rising healthcare costs, increased expenditure on social security systems, etc.
- Social: Families face increased caregiving responsibilities, need to bridge generational gaps and maintain social cohesion, etc.
- Infrastructure: Urban spaces need to be made more age-friendly, accommodation of reduced mobility by transportation system, etc.
Steps TakenGlobal
India
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