"Population Asymmetry Deepens" 50s '16.6%' · Teens '9.2%'... Average Age 43.4 Years

Continuous Increase in 50s: 12.4% in 2008 → 15.7% in 2013 → 16.6% in 2018 → 16.6% in 2021
Continuous Decrease in Teens: 13.8% in 2008 → 12.2% in 2013 → 9.9% in 2018 → 9.2% in 2021
Ministry of the Interior and Safety: "In 10 Years, Population Aged 50 and Over Will Exceed Half of Total Population; Must Accelerate Policies to Boost Population Vitality"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] It has been revealed that among the resident registration population, those in their 50s born in the 1960s account for the largest proportion, exceeding 16% of the total population. Since the start of resident registration population statistics in 2008, the population under 40 has sharply decreased, whereas those aged 50 and above have significantly increased, resulting in growing population asymmetry.

On the 6th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced through the resident registration age-specific population statistics that people in their 50s make up the largest share with 8,590,314 individuals (16.6%) among the resident registration population. The proportion of the population in their 50s was 12.4% in 2008 but has steadily risen by more than 4 percentage points. The average age of the entire resident registration population is 43.4 years, which is 6.4 years higher than in 2008, and among metropolitan autonomous entities, only Sejong has an average age below 40.

The proportion of those in their 40s and 50s was the highest at 32.5%, followed by those in their 60s and 70s at 20.7%, those under 10 at 16.6%, and those aged 80 and above at 4.0%. While the population under 10 and those in their 20s and 30s have continuously decreased, the 60s, 70s, and 80+ age groups have sharply increased since 2008. The proportion of those under 10 decreased from 13.8% in 2008 → 12.2% in 2013 → 9.9% in 2018 → 9.2% in 2021.

Looking at birth cohorts, those born in the 1960s, who form the core of the 50s age group, number about 8.6 million, accounting for 16.6% of the total population, followed by those born in the 1970s > 1980s > 1990s > 1950s > 2000s in that order.

The average age has risen by more than 6 years compared to 2008, with the average age of women at 44.6 years, 2.3 years higher than men at 42.3 years. Also, when divided into the metropolitan area and non-metropolitan areas, the average age in the metropolitan area is 42.5 years, while the non-metropolitan area's average age is 43.8 years, 1.3 years higher than the metropolitan area.

Furthermore, as of the end of June, the resident registration population was 51,672,400, a decrease of 33,505 people (0.06%) compared to the end of March. Excluding 27,456 people who were removed due to residence unknown status, the pure natural decrease was 8,421 people, showing that the population decline trend has continued in the second quarter following the first-ever population decrease in 2020 and the first quarter of this year.

In the second quarter of this year (April to June), the number of births (registrations) was 67,029, and the number of deaths (removals) was 75,450, decreasing by 1,070 and 3,019 respectively compared to the first quarter. Additionally, the total number of households increased by 98,947 households (0.43%) compared to the first quarter, reaching 23,256,332 households.

Choi Byung-kwan, Director of Local Administration Policy at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said, “Through this statistics, it can be seen that while the population under 40 is sharply decreasing, the population aged 60 and above is rapidly increasing, causing the asymmetry in population distribution to grow. It is expected that in 10 years, those aged 50 and above will account for more than half of the total population, and many regions will have an average age exceeding 50. To prepare for this, policies to enhance population vitality across education, welfare, regional development, and the overall economy and society must be accelerated.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.