4 out of 10 Elderly Living Alone "Prepare for Old Age on Their Own"

Statistics Korea, 2023 Elderly Statistics

Among elderly people aged 65 and older living alone, 4 out of 10 were found to be preparing for their old age independently. Elderly individuals living alone rated their health status as poorer compared to those not living alone.

According to the '2023 Elderly Statistics' released by Statistics Korea on the 26th, the total number of elderly households with a household head aged 65 or older was 5,655,000 last year. Among these, 2,138,000 households, or 37.8%, were living alone. The proportion of elderly households living alone has been steadily increasing since 2015 (32.9%).

The employment rate among elderly people living alone was 32.8%. This means that 3 out of 10 elderly individuals living alone are actively working as part of the new senior generation. Nearly half (49.4%) of elderly people living alone were supporting their living expenses through earned income, business income, or pensions, while 33.2% received support from government and social organizations.

Two out of ten elderly people living alone (18.7%) responded that they have no one to help when they are sick and need assistance with household chores, suddenly need to borrow a large sum of money, or need someone to talk to.

44.2% of elderly people reported preparing for their old age through methods such as the National Pension, savings and deposits, or real estate management.

Among elderly people living alone, 21.7% considered their health status to be good, while 44.0% considered it poor, which is higher than the overall elderly population (33.3%).

Statistics Korea stated, "Subjective health evaluations of elderly people living alone showed a more positive tendency among men than women, and among younger age groups."

The rate of practicing health management was generally lower than that of the overall elderly population, with most practicing habits such as eating breakfast (88.7%) and regular health check-ups (82.4%), while regular exercise (44.7%) was relatively low.