The share of the working-age population, ages 15 to 64, fell below 70% for the first time last year. In contrast, the share of the population ages 65 and older topped 20% for the first time. By ratio, one in five people is in the older population.
The total population inched up as the number of foreigners rose despite a decline in nationals. However, the pace of growth slowed from the previous year, and the total number of households increased as one-person households hit a record high for the second straight year.
According to the "2025 Population and Housing Census (registration-based census) results" released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS) , as of Nov. 1 last year the total population was 51.82 million, up 12,000 (0.02%) from a year earlier. The total population includes not only nationals residing in Korea but also foreigners who stay in the country for three months or longer. After falling for two consecutive years from 2021, it turned to growth in 2023, but it is effectively flat.
The total population increased, but the working-age population decreased. Last year, the working-age population was 35.87 million, accounting for 69.2% of the total. It was the first time since 2015, when statistics were compiled under the current standard including foreigners, that the working-age share fell below 70%. The working-age population peaked at 37.63 million in 2018 and has been declining. The youth population (ages 0 to 14) was 5.22 million (10.1%), down 3.6% from the previous year.
In contrast, the population ages 65 and older rose to 10.72 million (20.7%), up 601,000 (5.9%) from a year earlier, surpassing 20% of the total population for the first time. The country has entered a "super-aged society," in which people 65 and older make up at least 20% of the population. The aging index, which indicates the number of older people per 100 youths, rose to 205.2, up 18.5 from a year earlier.
The slight increase in the total population was largely due to a rise in foreigners. Last year, the number of nationals fell by 50,000 (-0.1%) to 49.71 million, while the number of foreigners grew by 70,000 (3.2%) to 2.11 million. An official at the Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS) said, "Recently, the number of international students and trainees has increased, and more seasonal workers have come to supplement labor shortages in farming and fishing villages." The number of foreigners rose in all provinces and metropolitan cities except Jeju.
Changes emerged in population trends by city, county and district, with Sinan County and Muan County in South Jeolla, Yeonggwang County in South Jeolla, and Eumseong County in North Chungcheong among the top 10 regions by population growth rate last year. Analysts attributed the increases to the "sunlight pension" policy in Sinan, childbirth and settlement condition improvements in Yeonggwang, and new apartment move-ins and expansion of manufacturing-based jobs in Muan and Eumseong.
One-person households rose to 8.244 million, up 199,000 (2.5%) from a year earlier, the highest on record. Their share of all households increased to 36.6%, up 0.5 percentage points from 36.1% a year earlier. Total households increased by 250,000 from the previous year.
By age, growth in one-person households was concentrated among older adults. One-person households under age 20 fell 2.6% from a year earlier, while those in their 70s rose 9.6% and those 80 and older rose 4.4%. Those in their 60s increased 3.4%. One-person households ages 65 and older numbered 2.456 million, up 7.3% from a year earlier, accounting for 10.9% of all households.
The Seoul metropolitan area population was tallied at 26.38 million, accounting for 50.9% of the total. That share has steadily increased from 49.5% in 2015. The central region accounted for 14.1%, Honam for 10.9%, and Yeongnam for 24.2%.
The total number of dwellings was 20.181 million, up 309,000 (1.6%) from a year earlier. Single-family homes such as multi-household units have continued to decline since 1990, totaling 3.83 million last year, while multifamily housing such as apartments and multiplex units totaled 16.14 million.
By region, Incheon, Daejeon and North Chungcheong saw large growth rates in dwellings. An official at the Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS) said, "Incheon, where new towns such as Yeongjong and Songdo were completed, Daejeon, where redevelopment of old downtown areas was finished, and North Chungcheong, where the share of apartment move-ins rose due to large corporate industrial complexes such as SK hynix, saw the biggest increases in the number of dwellings."