[2022 통계로 본 고령자의 삶] Life expectancy at age 65 is 21.5 years, life expectancy at age 75 is 13.3 years
(Etoday DB)
The life expectancy of the elderly in Korea was calculated to be 86.5 years based on age 65. This is higher than the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average, and Korea is rapidly entering an aging society.
According to ‘statistics of the elderly in 2022’ released by the Office for National Statistics recently, from 2020, the life expectancy of people aged 65 is 21.5 years and the life expectancy of people aged 75 is 13.3 years. These increased by 0.2 and 0.1 years, respectively, compared to the previous year.
Breaking down by gender, women are expected to live longer than men. The life expectancy of a 65-year-old woman is 23.6 years, 4.4 years longer than men. Compared to the OECD average, women are 2.4 years older and men 1.4 years older. In addition, the life expectancy of a 75-year-old woman was 14.7 years, 3.1 years longer than men.
Malignant neoplasms (cancer) are still the leading cause of death in the elderly. In 2021, malignant neoplasm (cancer) ranked first with 709.3 deaths per 100,000 people aged 65 and over by cause of death. It was followed by heart disease with 312.0, pneumonia with 250.3, cerebrovascular disease with 220.6, and Alzheimer’s disease with 92.0.
However, the number of deaths from cancer and cerebrovascular disease among the elderly is on the decline. However, deaths from Alzheimer’s disease continue to rise. When comparing the death rate by cause of death in the elderly to the total population, cancer 4.4 times, heart disease 5.1 times, pneumonia 5.6 times, cerebrovascular disease 5.0 times, and Alzheimer’s disease 5.9 times.
Additionally, in 2020, 4759,000 medical expenses were earned per person aged 65 and over and 1106,000 co-payments were earned, down 37,000 earned and 11,000 earned, respectively, from the previous year. Medical expenses and out-of-pocket expenses per person for the elderly are 2.8 times and 2.7 times higher than the total population, respectively.
As interest in health in general increases, so does the number of elderly people who exercise. In 2020, the exercise rate for all exercises by the elderly aged 65 and over was walking (42.3%), aerobic physical activity (33.2%), and strength training (22.5%) respectively. Rates of strength training and walking increased by 4.2%p and 2.4%p, respectively, compared to the previous year.
In 2021, the proportion of people aged 65 and over who are recognized as long-term care recipients was 10.3%, an increase of 0.6% on the previous year. Long-term care certified persons refer to those judged for grades 1-5 and those who have received cognitive support grades among those subject to long-term care grades, and the trend continues to increase as the population ages.
The number of welfare facilities for the elderly is also increasing as the population ages. However, the number of residential well-being facilities for the elderly was on the decline, while the number of well-being facilities for the elderly in the home, such as visiting nursing service, visiting bath service, and day/night care service, was increase.
Meanwhile, it was also revealed that the funeral preferences of the elderly have changed over the last decade. In 2021, cremation was 81.6% and burial preferred by the elderly themselves 17.8%. For the last 10 years, the choice of funeral increased by 24.9% per cent for cremation, but there was a decrease of 21.0% for burial.
