Middle-aged Koreans largely look to national pension for post-retirement safety net
More than six out of 10 middle-aged Koreans identified the national pension as their primary safety net for life after retirement, according to figures released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics, Monday. The figure rose to 61 percent from 51.7 percent a decade ago, showing that people in the age group are becoming more dependent on the state-run pension program rather than private pensions…
A recent survey conducted by the Ministry of Data and Statistics reveals that more than six out of ten middle-aged Koreans rely on the national pension system for financial security during their retirement years. This figure has increased from 51.7 percent a decade ago, indicating a growing dependence on the state-run pension program. The analysis was based on responses from 10 years of data collected from people aged 40 to 64, gathered through the ministry's annual survey.
The growing awareness of post-career financial security among this demographic can be attributed to a rapidly aging population. In 2015, 75.8 percent of those aged 40 to 64 said they were actively building or already had a retirement cushion, a ratio that increased to 81.9 percent in 2025. However, a significant portion of this financial cushion was derived from the national pension, with reliance on the state pension growing by nearly 10 percentage points.
Meanwhile, alternative means of post-retirement support, such as private pension services, experienced a decline as people became more reliant on the national pension system.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
