The City Is Aging

Over the past 20 years, the aging index of cities has increased nearly fivefold.

According to the "Urbanization Status Based on Statistical Regional Classification System" released by Statistics Korea on the 26th, the aging index of cities nationwide was 120.5 in 2021, which is 4.76 times higher compared to 25.3 in 2000, 20 years ago.

By region, the aging index was high in the Gangwon area (138.3) and the Gyeongsang area (133.7). These figures represent a 4.0-fold and 5.2-fold increase respectively compared to 2000.

The Seoul Capital Area had a relatively lower aging index compared to these regions, but it increased fivefold from 24.5 in 2000 to 121.3 in 2021.

The regions with relatively low aging indices were the Chungcheong area (93.1) and the Jeju area (96.6).

The urbanization rate nationwide was 90.7%, with the Seoul Capital Area recording 97.1%.

The Gyeongsang, Chungcheong, and Jeju areas were in the 80% range, while the Jeolla and Gangwon areas were in the 70% range.

Although the urbanization rate increased in all regions over the past 20 years, the Jeolla and Gangwon areas showed a slight decrease in urbanization rate between 2010 and 2021.

The proportion of urban population was overwhelmingly highest in the Seoul Capital Area at 53.5% as of 2021. The Seoul Capital Area has maintained an urban population proportion in the 50% range since 2000.

The Gyeongsang area followed with 24.5%, Chungcheong with 10.0%, and Jeolla with 8.4%. However, the Gyeongsang area’s urban population proportion has been decreasing since it recorded 27.6% in the 2000s, while Chungcheong’s proportion has been on the rise from 8.7% in 2000.

As of 2021, the urban area proportions were 41.6% for the Seoul Capital Area, 26.7% for the Gyeongsang area, and 13.6% for the Chungcheong area. Except for the Seoul Capital Area (37.0%→41.6%) and Jeju area (2.2%→3.0%), the urban area proportions of other regions have been continuously decreasing.

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