By Lee Kyung-min
The average age of people living in Seoul is increasing fast, Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) said Tuesday.
According to a yearly statistics report released by the city government, the average age of Seoul citizens was 39.7 as of 2013, and one out of 10 citizens was 65 or over.
That is a dramatic increase from 1970, when the average age was 22.8.
The comparable figures were 24.8 in 1989; 28.3 in 1990; 33.1 in 2000; 38.2 in 2010; 39.2 in 2012.
"In the 1970s, when the country was undergoing major economic development, many people in the suburbs or in the country moved to Seoul seeking employment," said sociology professor Jin Seung-kwon at Ewha Woman's University. "The average age increase was predicted, since those who moved here settled and they got older."
The low birth rate is another contributing factor, according to an SMG official.
"People in their 20s or 30s decide to get married as late as they can, or not get married at all. So, the birth rate is low accordingly. Also, married couples these days don't want to have children, or when they do, they don't want more than two. That would certainly be another factor," she said.
Also, the statistics showed that 116,000 Seoul citizens are people aged over 65, and among those, one out of five live alone. And among those elderly who live alone, one out of seven are women.
"With many of them refusing to identify themselves as old, the trend will continue," the SMG official said.
The report also showed that, on average, 189 couples got married a day, while 55 couples got divorced.
It also showed that the number of households increased to 4.18 million, while the members of each household decreased to 2.4.
That trend is attributed to the increase of single-person households, the SMG official added.
Almost a fifth of the nation's 50 million people lives in Seoul.
The average age of people living in Seoul is increasing fast, Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) said Tuesday.
According to a yearly statistics report released by the city government, the average age of Seoul citizens was 39.7 as of 2013, and one out of 10 citizens was 65 or over.
That is a dramatic increase from 1970, when the average age was 22.8.
The comparable figures were 24.8 in 1989; 28.3 in 1990; 33.1 in 2000; 38.2 in 2010; 39.2 in 2012.
"In the 1970s, when the country was undergoing major economic development, many people in the suburbs or in the country moved to Seoul seeking employment," said sociology professor Jin Seung-kwon at Ewha Woman's University. "The average age increase was predicted, since those who moved here settled and they got older."
The low birth rate is another contributing factor, according to an SMG official.
"People in their 20s or 30s decide to get married as late as they can, or not get married at all. So, the birth rate is low accordingly. Also, married couples these days don't want to have children, or when they do, they don't want more than two. That would certainly be another factor," she said.
Also, the statistics showed that 116,000 Seoul citizens are people aged over 65, and among those, one out of five live alone. And among those elderly who live alone, one out of seven are women.
"With many of them refusing to identify themselves as old, the trend will continue," the SMG official said.
The report also showed that, on average, 189 couples got married a day, while 55 couples got divorced.
It also showed that the number of households increased to 4.18 million, while the members of each household decreased to 2.4.
That trend is attributed to the increase of single-person households, the SMG official added.
Almost a fifth of the nation's 50 million people lives in Seoul.
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