South Korea had 8,604 centenarians last year; oldest respondent was 116

The number of people aged 100 or older in South Korea has nearly tripled over the past decade, according to newly released government data.

Women account for the vast majority of centenarians, but men are catching up at a faster rate.

The Ministry of Statistics released the results of its "2025 Population and Housing Census Survey of Centenarians" on Thursday.

As of Nov. 1, 2025, there were 8,604 people aged 100 or older in South Korea, up 5,445 — or 172.4 percent — from 3,159 recorded in the previous survey in 2015. The oldest respondent was 116 years old.

The centenarian population grew 2.7 times over the decade.

The figures are based on direct household visits by ministry officials and may differ from ages listed in resident registration records.

The average annual growth rate was 10.5 percent, down from 11.5 percent in 2015, but the number of centenarians per 100,000 people rose to 17.3, an increase of 10.9 from the 2015 figure.

Men accounted for 1,428 centenarians (16.6 percent) and women 7,176 (83.4 percent), giving a sex ratio of 19.9 men per 100 women.

However, the male growth rate was steeper. Over the decade, the female centenarian population grew 162.8 percent — 2.6 times its previous size — while the male population grew 233.6 percent, or 3.3 times its previous size.

"As medicine and living conditions have improved, the sex ratio has been trending toward greater balance," a ministry official said. "Although the overall annual growth rate has slowed, it remains above 10 percent, so the numbers will continue to rise."

By region, Gyeonggi Province had the most centenarians at 2,052 (23.8 percent), followed by Seoul with 1,268 (14.7 percent) and North Gyeongsang Province with 559 (6.5 percent).

On a per-100,000-population basis, South Jeolla Province had the highest concentration at 31.8 centenarians, followed by Jeju at 30.4 and Gangwon Province at 28.6.

At the city and county level, Goyang in Gyeonggi Province had the most centenarians at 188, followed by Yongin (169) and Suwon (152), both also in Gyeonggi Province. The rankings appear to reflect the concentration of care facilities in those areas.

Per 100,000 residents, Goheung-gun in South Jeolla Province topped the list at 91.8, followed by Yeongyang-gun in North Gyeongsang Province (89.6) and Bonghwa-gun, also in North Gyeongsang Province (86.8).

The ministry separately surveyed 4,280 centenarians not living in care facilities. Among them, detached houses were the most common housing type at 48.5 percent, followed by apartments at 41.2 percent.

In terms of tenure, 76.3 percent owned their homes, 5.4 percent lived on a jeonse arrangement, 11.1 percent paid monthly rent and 7.3 percent lived rent-free.

Nearly 60 percent — 59.8 percent — had received no formal education. Those with a university degree or higher accounted for just 4.6 percent.

All respondents were born before Nov. 1, 1925, meaning they grew up during the Japanese colonial period, when access to education was limited.

Among marital statuses, 92.8 percent had been widowed. While 30.2 percent of male centenarians still had a living spouse, only 0.7 percent of female centenarians did.

Some 20.7 percent of respondents lived alone. Another 68.4 percent lived with their children or children's spouses, and 5.6 percent lived with their own spouse.

Among caregivers, children and their spouses provided care for 73.5 percent of centenarians, while paid caregivers such as nursing aides accounted for 35.6 percent.

Among those receiving family care, sons were the primary caregivers for 52.4 percent, daughters for 34.9 percent and daughters-in-law for 34.5 percent.

Only 4.9 percent received care from a spouse — though the figure was 22.4 percent for men and just 0.2 percent for women.

Just over half — 51.0 percent — reported having a religion, with women at 53.5 percent and men at 41.2 percent.

Some 59.7 percent had held a job at some point in their lives. Farming, forestry and fishing was the most common occupation at 29.5 percent, followed by sales (6.5 percent) and management or professional roles (5.6 percent).

When asked about the secret to their longevity, 59.7 percent cited a restrained diet such as eating small portions. Regular routines came second at 44.5 percent, followed by genetic factors at 32.1 percent.

On current life satisfaction, 43.7 percent said they felt neutral, 33.1 percent said they were satisfied (very satisfied or satisfied) and 23.3 percent said they were dissatisfied (dissatisfied or very dissatisfied).

Chronic illness was reported by 90.0 percent of respondents. Hypertension was the most common condition at 56.7 percent, followed by arthritis (39.9 percent), dementia (29.1 percent) and diabetes (15.7 percent).

Some 79.6 percent said they had never consumed alcohol in their lives, and 86.9 percent had never smoked.

Three-quarters — 75.8 percent — had neither drunk nor smoked.

Among those who had drunk alcohol, the average drinking period was 38.9 years; among those who had smoked, the average was 33.9 years. Just 0.4 percent said they still drink or smoke.

Centenarians also tended to maintain active social lives.

Some 50.8 percent said they met with children living separately, neighbors, caregivers or others 10 or more times in a given month, with an average of 12.7 meetings per month.

Only 4.2 percent reported having no such contact at all.

Some 70.7 percent said they had no intention of moving into a care facility, and 47.9 percent said the layout or fixtures of their home were the biggest inconvenience to living independently.

Some 81.8 percent used assistive devices. Mobility aids such as wheelchairs and canes were used by 62.2 percent, and 54.3 percent used chewing aids such as dentures.

On cognitive function, 87.4 percent could accurately recall their own name and 87.8 percent could recognize family members. Some 61.9 percent knew their exact age, but only 43.6 percent could perform basic monetary calculations.

Only 5.6 percent reported no limitations in basic daily activities.

The activity most commonly reported as completely impossible was walking short distances without an assistive device, cited by 37.4 percent. Some 20.9 percent said they were completely unable to use the toilet and manage personal hygiene afterward, and 19.6 percent said they could not wash their face, brush their teeth or wash their hair at all.

husn7@heraldcorp.com