176 teams carry out 1.4 million volunteer hours at Prophet's Mosque in 2024    RCU launches women's football development project    RDIA launches 2025 Research Grants on National Priorities    Damac appoints Portuguese coach Nuno Almeida    GASTAT: Protected land areas grow 7.1% in 2023, making up 18.1% of Kingdom's total land area    Kuwait and Oman secure dramatic wins in Khaleeji Zain 26 Group A action    South Korea becomes 'super-aged' society, new data shows    Trump criticizes Biden for commuting death sentences    Russian ballistic missile attack hits Kryvyi Rih on Christmas Eve    Financial gain: Saudi Arabia's banking transformation is delivering a wealth of benefits, to the Kingdom and beyond    Four given jail terms for Amsterdam violence against football fans    Blake Lively's claims put spotlight on 'hostile' Hollywood tactics    Cabinet underscores Saudi Arabia's significant progress in all fields    Saudi Awwal Bank inaugurates Prince Faisal bin Mishaal Centre for Native Plant Conservation and Propagation in partnership with Environmental Awareness Society    Saudi Ambassador to Ukraine presents credentials to President Zelenskyy    Five things everyone should know about smoking    Saudi Arabia starts Gulf Cup 26 campaign with a disappointing loss to Bahrain    Gulf Cup: Hervé Renard calls for Saudi players to show pride    Do cigarettes belong in a museum    Marianne Jean-Baptiste on Oscars buzz for playing 'difficult' woman    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



South Korea becomes 'super-aged' society, new data shows
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 25 - 12 - 2024

South Korea has become a "super-aged" society with one in five people aged 65 or older, official data showed Tuesday, underscoring the country's deepening demographic crisis.
The number of people aged 65 and older stands at 10.24 million, accounting for 20% of South Korea's population of 51 million, according to new data released by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.
The United Nations classifies countries with more than 7% of the population 65 or older as an "aging society," those with over 14% as an "aged society" and those with more than 20% as a "super-aged" society.
South Korea has been grappling with infamously low birth rates, dropping to just 0.72 in 2023, the world's lowest, after years of decline.
Countries need a fertility rate of 2.1 to maintain a stable population, in the absence of immigration.
According to the ministry's latest data, about 22% of women in South Korea are aged 65 or older, while the proportion of men over that age is nearly 18%, the interior ministry said.
The data underscores the demographic time bomb that South Korea and other East Asian nations are facing as their societies age just a few decades after their rapid industrialization.
Many European nations also face aging populations, but immigration helps them to mitigate the impact. Countries like South Korea, Japan and China, however, have shied away from mass immigration to tackle the decline in their working age populations.
South Korean authorities have desperately sought to reverse the country's demographic trend, with President Yoon Suk Yeol in May calling for parliament's help to establish a new ministry to tackle what he called a "national emergency."
Experts say the reasons for the demographic shift across Asia include demanding work cultures, stagnating wages, the rising cost of living, changing attitudes toward marriage and gender equality, and rising disillusionment among younger generations.
But despite the economic factors at play, throwing money at the problem has proved ineffective.
In 2022, South Korean authorities admitted that more than $200 billion had been spent trying to boost the population over the previous 16 years.
But initiatives like extending paid paternity leave, offering monetary "baby vouchers" to new parents, and social campaigns encouraging men to contribute to childcare and housework, had failed to reverse the trend. — CNN


Clic here to read the story from its source.