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.