Single-member households account for 41% of all family units in Korea

Single-member households account for 41% of all family units in Korea. [Source : Gettyimagesbank]

Four out of 10 families in South Korea were single-person households as of December last year, with the total nearing 10 million, to suggest a change in overall demography amid the rapidly aging society and more individuals choosing not to get married.

According to data released by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on Sunday, the number of registered residents in Korea came to 51.4 million as of December last year, down 0.39 percent from the previous year. It is the third straight year of decline in population that stood at 51.8 million in 2020 and 51.6 million in 2021.

Despite a downfall in the number of overall population, the number of single-person households rose to 9.72 million in 2022, up 260,000 from 2021.

The number of single-person households accounted for 41 percent of entire family units, followed by that of two-member households to take up 24.2 percent, four-member households to account for 17.8 percent, and three-member households 16.9 percent.

The number of entire households have also increased in recent years on the back of a rise in single-member units. In 2022, the number of households reached 23.7 million, up 0.99 percent from the previous year, with the average number of household members reaching an all-time low of 2.17.

The number of individuals in their 50s accounted for the largest 16.7 percent of the entire population in Korea, followed by those in their 40s at 15.7 percent, 60s at 14.4 percent, 30s at 12.9 percent, 20s at 12.5 percent, 70s at 11.8 percent, teens at 9.1 percent, and below 10 at 6.9 percent.

The number of elderly people in Korea aged over 65 took up 18 percent of the entire population in the end of 2022.

“We are putting out pan-government efforts to respond to the population decline,” said Han Chang-seob, vice minister at the interior ministry. “We will actively provide support so that regional governments can work with related ministries to create more jobs and improve residential environment.”