What is an “old man” today?

In South Korea, December 2024 marked more than just the turn of the year. 2025 came accompanied by news that, although expected, is still relevant: after decades with a birth rate in the red, its society was officially declared “super aged”, a label that reveals that a fifth of the population (20%) has passed the age of 65. In fact, the latest data already places that demographic group in 21%which is equivalent to almost 11 million people.

With such data on the table, in Seoul it sounds increasingly louder a question: What is an old man? At what age is that status achieved?

“At what age is ‘elderly’?” The question may seem somewhat naive (even inconsequential), but that is the headline with which in 2024 Korea Timesone of the largest English-language newspapers published in South Korea, led an extensive report about the new reality and the demographic challenges facing the country: “How old is ‘elderly?'”

At what age can a person be considered “elderly”? What does it mean to be “elderly”? And above all… in a nation that has been dragging on for years serious problem birth rate, aged, in which life expectancy is growing and two out of ten people are already over 65 years old… Would it be advisable to redefine the parameters? Is it Seoul’s turn to rethink what an “old man” is?

What does the data say? That the label of “super-aged” society that South Korea won in 2024 hides a more multifaceted and challenging reality. At the end of 2025, 21.21% of the country’s inhabitants were 65 years old or older. That translates into 10.8 million people of a total of 51.1 and (above all) 580,000 more than a year before. The worrying thing is that everything indicates that this percentage will continue to grow and by 2050 more than 40% of the population will be “older.”

This increasing weight of sexagenarians, septuagenarians and octogenarians in the registry is explained by several factors. Especially two. The first is the demographic crisis that has been dragging down the country for a long time. Although its latest data is hopefulwith two consecutive years with positive birth indicatorsit is still early to talk about a solid change in trend. Furthermore, 24 months does not solve the decades that the country has been losing babies.

And the second factor? It is the increase in life expectancy. The Statista tables show that babies born today in South Korea will live on average between 81 and 87 years, depending on whether they are boys or girls. In 1980, none of these indicators reached 70 years and projections show that in 2100 both will exceed 90. They are just that, projections, but they are eloquent.

Why is it a problem? Because these figures reflect much more than a simple demographic curiosity. An aging country, with more and more retired seniors and fewer young people of working age, leads to a series of challenges to which Spain is not foreign. Neither does Seoul. This imbalance directly affects the basic pension system enjoyed by those over 65 years of age in the country and opens a debate that goes beyond how to maintain its financial architecture.

“There are young people who earn less than the elderly who receive basic pensions. Taxing them to finance the pensions of the elderly inevitably raises equity problems,” recognize Professor Kim Woo-chang Korea Times. “The system must be gradually reformed to limit payments to seniors living below the poverty line.”

What is the country risking? Lee Joong-keun explained it clearly in October 2024, during an event held at the Korean Chamber of Commerce in Seoul: “The number of senior citizens is now 10 million, but will increase to 20 million in 2050. Excluding the 10 million minors, the remaining two million (of working age) will have to support the elderly.”

The reflection is interesting for its content, but above all for who raises it. Lee Joong-keun is an octogenarian and spoke as president of the Korean Senior Citizens Association, an entity that has even put a proposal on the table: progressively raising the age from which people can access social benefits for the elderly from 65 to 75 years.

“To keep the number of senior citizens at around 12 million, I propose to the Government the idea of ​​increasing the (legal old age) age by one year every decade,” Jonng-keun advocated. Other similar debates have arisen in the country, such as raise the threshold for retirement or review from when the population can access the metro for free, raising the minimum from 65 to 70 years.

Is it a new idea? No. The seniors’ association is not the only one that has addressed the issue. Arrives a review to the korean pressor even internationalto verify that in the country there are several open debates, all connected to each other: Is it necessary to redefine the age from which a person is considered “old” in a “super-aged” society? Are you out of date? the reference of 65 years included in the welfare law of 1981 and which serves as a reference in the country?

If so… Where to place the new age? ¿In the 70 yearsAs some people propose? Better in the 75? Is that the first step to extending the retirement age? Should the pension system be reformed? Should the rest of the country follow the example of some South Korean government organizations that have begun to selectively raise the retirement age to 65?

Are they just proposals? Not at all. The Seoul Metropolitan Government has announced that it plans to raise the minimum age to access free public transportation, placing it at 70 years old. They have done something similar in Daegu, which since 2024 has been increasing progressively that barrier, raising it one year every 12 months. Recent Gallup Korea polls show that 59% of people believes that the criterion for considering an elderly person should be raised to 70 years. In 2015, 46% were in favor, compared to 47% who were against.

There are unions that have asked the Government to delay retirement, even threatening strikes, and the issue has been addressed during salary negotiations.

But… Why? For several reasons. And not only for the increase of the expenditure chapter that the State faces. The ‘cushion’ that South Korea currently offers to its elders is far from being ideal. And the best proof is that its poverty rate among the elderly is one of the highest if you look at the main economies, something that reflect media such as Forbes or the KDI institute.

This last state body speaks in fact of a rate of 34.8% If net income is taken into account, well above the 11.8% in Germany, 10.8% in the United States or 9.8% in the United Kingdom. If net disposable income is assessed, South Korea has the highest poverty rate in the entire OECD.

Is there more data? Yeah. The Chosun Daily contributes one of the keys that has been conditioning the economy of the elderly: the minimum threshold Retirement is 60 years old, but those who retire at that age face a period of several years until they receive their pension. They usually start at 63 for those born between 1961 and 1964, a barrier that rises to 65 for those born after 1969.

Not to mention that the average monthly payment for those over 65 years of age was in 2022 650,000 wonapproximately 490 dollars. The result is that a significant percentage of the country’s older people continue to work. In 2024 it is estimated that the employment rate among people aged 70 and over was 24.5% and Chosun specifies that in 2022 the labor force participation rate of those over 65 years of age reached 37.3%the largest of the OECD countries.

A previous version of this report was published in February 2025

Images | Terence Lim (Flickr), Simon Im (Flickr) and Statista

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