Over 8,000 Koreans have reached 100 — they share secrets to longevity
In South Korea, more than 8,600 individuals aged 100 or older resided in the country last year, according to recent census data. A significant majority of these centenarians, nearly 60%, attributed their longevity to practicing moderation, particularly with their diets. Many also maintained active social lives, frequently interacting with family and friends, with an average of 12.7 meetings per month.
According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics, this figure represents an impressive 2.7-fold increase since 2015, when there were only 3,159 centenarians in the nation. Women comprised 83.4% of the total, with Gyeonggi Province leading in centenarian population, followed by Seoul and North Gyeongsang Province. Among those surveyed, 59.7% mentioned a restrained diet as key to longevity, while 44.5% pointed to maintaining regular daily routines.
Remarkably, 86.9% of centenarians had never smoked and 79.6% had never consumed alcohol. Despite their advanced age, most centenarians were socially active, meeting friends, family, or caregivers an average of 12.7 times a month. Their quality of life was generally positive, with 43.7% expressing neither dissatisfaction nor satisfaction, and 33.1% reporting satisfaction.
Over three-quarters of centenarians lived with family members, while the rest were either living alone or had paid caregivers. Financial support primarily came from children or other relatives, with government or local authorities providing assistance to a smaller portion. Despite their prolonged lives, centenarians reported poorer health than a decade prior, with the percentage describing their health as "poor" rising to 31.2% from 21.8% in the 2015 survey.
Chronic diseases, such as high blood pressure, arthritis, dementia, and diabetes, were prevalent among centenarians. Nonetheless, the majority of centenarians had no intention of moving into a care facility in the future, preferring to remain in their familiar homes and relying on family care.
Written by urgent.news from The Hankyoreh's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
