SEOUL, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's elderly population reached 21.6 percent of the total population amid rapid population aging, statistical ministry data showed Thursday.
The number of people aged 65 and older totaled 11.125 million in 2026, accounting for 21.6 percent of the country's total population, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics.
After officially becoming a super-aged society last year when the proportion crossed 20 percent to hit 20.3 percent, the graying of the nation continued to intensify.
The ministry estimated that the elderly population will top 30 percent of the total by 2036 and 40 percent by 2050.
The old-age dependency ratio, or the proportion of the elderly population to the working-age population aged 15-64, was projected to surge from 31.3 in 2026 to 50.1 in 2036 and 100.8 in 2066.
The number of households, headed by those aged 60 and older, was 6.507 million in 2026, taking up 28.8 percent of all households in the country.
Among the elderly-led households, single-person households were the most common at 38.0 percent, followed by couple-only households at 35.1 percent.
The number of elderly households was forecast to exceed 10 million by 2038, with their share expected to surpass 50 percent of all households by 2052. ■
