SEOUL, KOREA - Seoul is getting progressively old. The average age of Seoul's citizens was 39.7 years as of the end of last year from only 22.8 years in 1970. This year, the number is projected to exceed 40, given the city has been getting older by 0.5 year since 2010.
The 2014 Seoul Statistical Yearbook published on the city government's website (stat.seoul.go.kr) on November 19 shows that it is not free from the nationwide twin problems of aging and low birthrate. The yearbook contains a total of 345 statistical items in 20 categories including demography, economy, and housing.
According to the yearbook, the average age of Seoulites as of 2013 was 39.7 years, with 11.2 percent of its population consisting of those older than 65 years of age. The total population of the city was 10,388,055 as of the end of 2013, down by 54,371 from a year ago.
Last year, an average of 230 babies were born a day while 115 perished. Its population distribution by age shows a typical "urn" shape in which 12.5 percent of the population is claimed by those aged between 0 and 14, 76.2 percent are between 15 and 64, and 11.2 percent are those over 65 years.
Article provided by The Korea Economic Daily
