The number of households, headed by those aged 65 and older, totaled 5,655,000 in 2023, among which 2,138,000, or 37.8 per cent, were single-person households, according to Statistics Korea.

The proportion of one-person households to the total elderly households continued to climb from 32.9 per cent in 2015 to 34.1 per cent in 2018, 36.4 per cent in 2021 and 37.8 per cent in 2023.

Of the senior single households, 32.8 per cent had jobs last year, higher than 30.6 per cent in the previous year.

The proportion of elderly one-person households who made their own living expenses stood at 49.4 per cent of the total in 2023, while 94.1 per cent received state pension in 2022 at a monthly average amount of 580,000 won (437 US dollars).

Of the elderly living alone, 47.8 per cent were dissatisfied with income last year, while dissatisfaction with consumption reached 41.2 per cent, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, the number of those aged 65 and older totaled 9,938,000 in 2024, accounting for 19.2 per cent of South Korea's total population.

The elderly proportion was forecast to surpass 20 per cent in 2025, 30 per cent in 2036 and 40 per cent in 2050, according to the statistical office estimate.