South Korea's relative poverty rate for people aged 66 and older fell to 37.7% in 2024, down 2.1 percentage points from a year earlier, but remained the highest among OECD member countries. Relative poverty refers to income below 50% of the median. The country’s elderly population has surpassed 20% of the total population. Income distribution also improved, with the Gini coefficient falling to 0.377 and the income quintile share ratio narrowing to 6.9 times. Older adults’ growing ability to cover living costs, rising employment and stronger retirement preparation contributed to the improved domestic figures. The employment rate for people aged 65 and over reached 39.5% in 2025, while 58.7% of those aged 65 to 79 said they wanted to continue working. The share preparing for later life rose to 64.4% last year. Internationally, South Korea’s comparable 2023 rate was 39.8%, well above Canada, France, Germany, Britain and Spain, with only Latvia also above 30%. A Ministry of Data and Statistics official said continued government job programs and changing attitudes toward retirement preparation could support further declines. Social and leisure indicators were mixed: access to help with household chores or emotional support edged lower over the decade, loneliness was higher than among all age groups, and leisure satisfaction improved.