South Korea's Oldest Person Is 116... Population Aged 100 and Over Surpasses 8,600

A 2.7-Fold Increase in a Decade... Number of Men Grows 3.3 Times

The number of centenarians has nearly tripled compared to 10 years ago. While women far outnumber men among people aged 100 and older, the growth rate for men was higher than for women.

On August 20, the Ministry of Data and Statistics released the “2025 Population and Housing Census: Results of the Centenarian Survey.” As of November 1, 2025, the number of people aged 100 and above in Korea reached 8,604, an increase of 5,445 (172.4%) from the previous census in 2015 (3,159 people). This means that the centenarian population has expanded by 2.7 times in the past 10 years. The oldest person identified in the current survey was 116 years old. This result was based on in-person confirmation by census surveyors and may differ from officially registered ages.

Citizens moving near Nakwon Shopping Center, Jongno-gu, Seoul Photo by Yonhap News

The average annual growth rate of the population aged 100 and over was 10.5%, slightly lower than 11.5% in 2015. However, the number of centenarians per 100,000 people reached 17.3, up 10.9 from 2015. By gender, the population was composed of 1,428 men (16.6%) and 7,176 women (83.4%), with a sex ratio of 19.9 men for every 100 women. While women still made up the majority, the pace of increase among men was steeper: over the past decade, the number of male centenarians rose by 233.6%, compared to 162.8% for women. In other words, while the number of women increased by 2.6 times, the number of men increased by 3.3 times.

An official from the Ministry of Data and Statistics explained, "With advances in medical care and improvements in living conditions, the gender imbalance is showing signs of easing," adding, "Although the average annual increase has slowed, it still remains above 10%, so the population of centenarians is expected to continue rising going forward."

By region, Gyeonggi Province had the largest number of centenarians, with 2,052 (23.8%), followed by Seoul with 1,268 (14.7%) and North Gyeongsang Province with 559 (6.5%). When measured per 100,000 residents, South Jeolla Province topped the list at 31.8 centenarians, followed by Jeju (30.4), and Gangwon (28.6). By city and county, Goyang in Gyeonggi Province had the highest number at 188, followed by Yongin (169) and Suwon (152), also in Gyeonggi Province. This is likely a reflection of the higher concentration of nursing facilities in these areas. The highest ratio of centenarians per 100,000 residents was recorded in Goheung County, South Jeolla Province (91.8), followed by Yeongyang County, North Gyeongsang Province (89.6), and Bonghwa County, North Gyeongsang Province (86.8).

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A separate analysis of the 4,280 centenarians who were not living in long-term care facilities showed that 48.5% lived in detached houses and 41.2% in apartments. Regarding housing tenure, 76.3% were homeowners, 11.1% lived in monthly rentals, 5.4% in jeonse (long-term lease), and 7.3% rent-free. The proportion who did not receive formal education was the highest at 59.8%, while only 4.6% had attained a university degree or higher. This is largely due to the fact that these individuals were born before November 1, 1925—during the era of Japanese colonial rule—when educational opportunities were scarce.

In terms of marital status, the rate of widowhood was 92.8%. While 30.2% of male centenarians still had a living spouse, the figure for women was only 0.7%. Some 20.7% of respondents lived alone, while 68.4% lived with their children or children's spouses, and 5.6% lived with their own spouse. Regarding caregiving, 73.5% were cared for by children or children's spouses, while 35.6% relied on paid caregivers such as nursing aides. Among family caregivers, the distribution was sons (52.4%), daughters (34.9%), and daughters-in-law (34.5%). The proportion cared for by a spouse was 4.9%, but there was a substantial gender gap: 22.4% for men and just 0.2% for women.

Among the respondents, 51.0% had a religion (women 53.5%, men 41.2%), and 59.7% had a work history. By industry, 29.5% had worked in agriculture, forestry, or fisheries, followed by sales (6.5%), and management or professional occupations (5.6%).

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Asked about the secret to longevity, the most popular answer was “moderate or restrained diet,” at 59.7%, followed by “regular lifestyle” at 44.5%, and “genetic factors” at 32.1%. As for satisfaction with life, 43.7% chose “average,” 33.1% were “satisfied” (“very satisfied” plus “satisfied”), and 23.3% were “dissatisfied” (“dissatisfied” plus “very dissatisfied”).

Regarding health, 90.0% had a chronic illness: hypertension (56.7%), arthritis (39.9%), dementia (29.1%), and diabetes (15.7%) in descending order. Of respondents, 79.6% had never drank alcohol, and 86.9% never smoked, while 75.8% maintained both abstinence from alcohol and tobacco. Those who had drunk alcohol did so for an average of 38.9 years, and those who had smoked did so for an average of 33.9 years. Currently, 0.4% still drink and smoke.

Centenarians tended to remain socially active. The largest group, 50.8%, met their children, neighbors, or caregivers more than 10 times per month, with a monthly average of 12.7 meetings. Only 4.2% reported having no face-to-face interactions at all. Among respondents, 70.7% said they did not wish to move into a care facility in the future, and 47.9% cited “house structure or amenities” as the most inconvenient aspect of living at home.

Some 81.8% used assistive devices: 62.2% used mobility aids such as wheelchairs and canes, while 54.3% used eating aids such as dentures. In the cognition survey, 87.4% could remember their own name accurately, and 87.8% recognized their family. The proportion who knew their exact age was 61.9%, and those capable of managing money was 43.6%.

Only 5.6% reported having no restrictions in their daily living activities. Conversely, “unable to walk short distances without an assistive device” was the most prevalent difficulty at 37.4%, followed by “using the restroom and cleaning/changing clothes after toileting” (20.9%), and “washing face, brushing teeth, or shampooing” (19.6%).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.