South Korea Officially a 'Super-Aged' Society

South Korea has officially become a "super-aged" society, with the total ratio of its population aged 65 and above surpassing 20 percent, according to the Ministry of Interior and Safety on Dec. 24.

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SEOUL -

The number of Koreans aged 65 or older stood at 10.24 million, accounting for 20 percent of the country's total population, which currently stands at 51.22 million.

According to the United Nations, a super-aged society is one in which more than 20 percent of the population is 65 or older. Those with over 14 percent and 7 percent are defined as aged societies and aging societies, respectively.

According to the Interior Ministry, there were more women than men among those aged 65 and older. Of the whole population, 17.83 percent of men and 22.15 percent of women are senior citizens, indicating a 4.32 percentage point difference.