August 20, 2026 | 07:05 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The number of South Koreans aged 100 and over (centenarians) has nearly tripled over the past decade, driven by medical advances and improved living conditions, according to statistics ministry data released Thursday, August 20, according to Antara, citing Xinhua.
According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Statistics on the population aged 100 and over, there were 8,604 people aged 100 or older as of November 1, 2025.
This figure is a 172.4 percent increase, or an increase of 5,445 people, compared with the 3,159 recorded in the previous survey in 2015.
These figures are based on face-to-face household interviews, meaning they may differ from the official ages recorded in the government's population registration system.
Although the average annual growth rate of people aged 100 and over decreased slightly from 11.5 percent in 2015 to 10.5 percent in 2025, the number of people aged 100 and over per 100,000 people jumped from 6.4 to 17.3, indicating a surge in the density of the very elderly population.
By gender, women constitute the largest majority group at 83.4 percent, or 7,176 people, compared to 1,428 men aged 100 and over.
The Korea Times also noted that one in five centenarians live alone.
By region, a quarter of South Korea's centenarians live in Gyeonggi Province (2,052 people), followed by Seoul (1,268 people) and North Gyeongsang Province (559 people).
Read: Why Japan Sees Lowest Citizen Population in 42 Years
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