100살 이상 노인 8604명…장수 비결은 ‘절제된 식생활’

In 2025, there were 8604 individuals over the age of 100 in South Korea, a 2.7-fold increase from the 3,159 recorded ten years prior in 2015. Women accounted for 83.4% of this demographic, with 7,176 individuals. The region with the highest concentration of centenarians was Gyeonggi Province, with 2,052 individuals, followed by Seoul (1,268) and Gyeongbuk (559).

Of the 4,280 centenarians living in homes rather than facilities, 59.7% attributed their longevity to a balanced lifestyle and active social connections. This included meeting family and friends an average of 12.7 times a month, with more than half (50.8%) meeting 10 or more times a month. Nearly 78.4% engaged in daily activities such as watching television or listening to the radio, while 78.4% also participated in regular outdoor activities like walking or visiting local centers for seniors.

Nearly 75.1% of centenarians lived with their families, with 80.2% relying on support from children or relatives for their living expenses, followed by government and local government assistance (67.2%) and self-funding (9.8%).

The subjective health of centenarians had worsened compared to a decade ago, with 31.2% reporting they were in poor health, up from 21.8% in the previous survey. The most common chronic conditions among centenarians were hypertension (56.7%), arthritis (39.9%), dementia (29.1%), and diabetes (15.7%). When asked about their willingness to enter a facility in the future, 70.7% responded "no," citing reasons such as family support (28.6%), a desire to stay in familiar surroundings (23.3%), and a reluctance or negative perception of facilities (23.0%).