Khaberni - The number of people living alone in a private home (a one-person household) in South Korea has reached a record level of more than 8 million people.
Recent estimates suggest that this trend will continue to rise, amid the country's struggles with a birthrate slump and an aging population, according to government data released today, Sunday.
The number of people living alone in a private home reached 8.05 million by the end of 2024, representing 36.1% of the total, according to the Social Security Factbook issued by the Ministry of Social Welfare, according to the South Korean news agency Yonhap.
This figure has been steadily rising from 5.2 million in 2015 to 6.64 million in 2020, representing 31.7% of all households, surpassing the 30% mark for the first time in history.
If this upward trend continues, the number of people living alone in a private home is expected to reach 8.55 million in 2027, 9.71 million in 2037, and 9.94 million in 2042.
Meanwhile, the number of elderly people aged 65 or above surpassed the 10 million mark for the first time last year, as South Korea entered an "ultra-aging society" with more than 20% of its population being elderly.
