In December 2024, the share of South Koreans ages 65 and older surpassed 20% for the first time, making it what demographers like us call a “super-aged society.” By August 2026 that share had risen further, to 22.1%.

That label can sound like a diagnosis, but population aging is not inherently a problem. In part, it reflects demographic progress: Fewer people are dying prematurely, and people are living longer due to improved living conditions. Thus, an older population can simply be a sign of society having grown safer, healthier and demographically more mature.

The central concern, then, is not simply that a population is aging, but how quickly it is aging and whether society is prepared for it. South Korea moved from an aging society, meaning 7%-13% of a population is over 64, to a super-aged society in about 24 years. This transition was considerably faster than Japan, where it took 35 years. In the United States, older adults are projected to make up 23.4% of the population by 2060.

By 2060, about 41% of South Koreans are projected to be 65 or older, which would place the country to become the oldest. The country will face growing pressure on pensions, healthcare, workplaces and caregiving systems, but will have relatively little time to adapt.

We research population health and aging. In our most recent study, published in July 2026, we examined how South Korea is dealing with its aging population. South Korea is not the first country to become a super-aged society, but the pace of its demographic transition has been exceptionally rapid. We believe its experience offers an early view of the choices many societies will soon face.

In the 1990s, the largest age groups were those between 15 and 34.

Now, more than 30 years later, the youngest of these are more than 45 years old, and the oldest have already reached retirement age, which in South Korea is 60. Notably, the share of people ages 30 and younger is shrinking.

South Korea’s aging is also connected to a broader shift in fertility, family formation and family life. As people gain greater individual autonomy in deciding how to organize their lives, there is a demographic transition........

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