Number of centenarians nearly triples in 10 years: data
Summary
The number of Koreans aged 100 or older has nearly tripled in a decade, driven by better medical treatment and living conditions. The Ministry of Data and Statistics said there were 8,604 centenarians as of Nov. 1, 2025, up from 3,159 in 2015. The centenarian rate rose to 17.3 per 100,000 people in 2025 from 10.9 in 2015. One in five centenarians live alone.
Key Facts
- The Ministry of Data and Statistics counted 8,604 centenarians as of Nov. 1, 2025.
- The number was 3,159 in 2015, meaning the total nearly tripled in 10 years.
- Men accounted for 1,428 centenarians, or 16.6 percent of the total.
- Gyeonggi Province had 2,052 centenarians, followed by Seoul with 1,268 and North Gyeongsang Province with 559.
- One in five centenarians live alone.
Elderly people rest at Tapgol Park, Jongno District, Seoul, Aug. 3. Yonhap
The number of Korean aged 100 years or older has nearly tripled in a decade on the back of improvements in medical treatment and living conditions, data showed Thursday.
According to the data by the Ministry of Data and Statistics, the number of centenarians came to 8,604 as of Nov. 1, 2025, a sharp rise from 3,159 in 2015.
The portion of centenarians to every 100,000 stood at 17.3 in 2025, up from 10.9 in 2015.
The number of male centenarians accounted for 16.6 percent of the total with 1,428.
By region, a quarter of the centenarians — 2,052 people — were living in Gyeonggi Province, followed by 1,268 in Seoul and 559 in North Gyeongsang Province, the data showed.
The latest findings, meanwhile, showed that one in five centenarians live alone.
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