20-02-2025
Long-term care spending for seniors doubles in last 5 years
South Korea in 2024 spent 14.76 trillion won ($10.27 billion) in state-provided long-term care benefits for those aged 65 and up, again marking an all-time high as the proportion of older residents in the country keeps climbing.
The latest figure marked a substantial increase from the year before and was nearly double the 7.73 trillion won spent five years ago, according to the National Health Insurance Service data submitted to Rep. Kim Mi-ae of the ruling People Power Party. The annual figure has climbed every year since 2019, first surpassing 10 trillion won to 10.09 trillion won in 2021, and marking 13.19 trillion won in 2023.
Long-term care benefits, a form of social safety net for the elderly in accordance with the Long-term Care Insurance Act, refer to services such as aid in physical activities and household chores or nursing, or money paid in lieu of such services to a person determined to have difficulties living independently for six months or longer. South Korea's workers are mandated to be subscribed to Long-term Care Insurance along with the National Health Insurance program.
A total of 1.47 million people applied for long-term care benefits last year, 1.16 million of whom were approved.
"Both the number of applicants for long-term care benefits and spending on the benefits are expected to increase as (the country's population) grows older, yet many subscribers are not even aware that they are paying the monthly fees," said Kim. "The system must have a fair and objective (approval) system, so that people who paid insurance fees their entire lives are not rejected in the application process after their retirement.
The South Korean government last year officially announced that it has become a super-aged society―a society where more than 20 percent of the population is aged 65 or above. Twenty percent of the country's total 51.22 million population―10.24 million―were aged 65 or above as of December 2024, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.
Statistics Korea in 2022 projected that the percentage of those 65 or older in the country is expected to surpass 30 percent in 2035, and reach 43 percent of the population by 2050.
