Windhoek:South Korea's elderly population has reached 21.6 percent of the total population, reflecting a rapid aging trend according to data from the statistical ministry.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the number of individuals aged 65 and older totaled 11.125 million in 2026, making up 21.6 percent of the nation's total population. This marks a continued increase after the country officially became a super-aged society last year, when the elderly proportion crossed 20 percent to reach 20.3 percent.

The Ministry of Data and Statistics projects that the elderly population will surpass 30 percent by 2036 and could reach 40 percent by 2050. This demographic shift is also affecting the old-age dependency ratio, which measures the elderly population relative to those of working age (15-64). This ratio is expected to rise from 31.3 in 2026 to 50.1 in 2036 and eventually 100.8 by 2066.

In 2026, there were 6.507 million households led by individuals aged 60 and older, representing 28.8 percent of all households in South Korea. Among these elderly-led households, single-person households were the most prevalent at 38.0 percent, followed by couple-only households at 35.1 percent.

Forecasts suggest that the number of elderly households will exceed 10 million by 2038, with their share anticipated to surpass 50 percent of all households by 2052.