The number of people aged 100 and over in South
Korea nearly doubled over the past five years thanks to enhanced medical treatment and higher health consciousness, government data showed Tuesday.
According to the data offered by Statistics Korea, the country's centenarians numbered
1,836 as of November last year, up 91.1 percent from 961 tallied in 2005. The figures are based on the nation's census that is conducted every five years.
Females in the age group stood at 1,580, far exceeding 256 male counterparts. The number of males still spiked 146.2 percent over the cited period, the data showed. The statistics agency, however, did not reveal the oldest age among those surveyed.
The figure comes as South Korea is quickly moving toward becoming an aged society with more than 11 percent of its total population of 49 million aged 65 and older.
Advances in medical technologies and heightened health recognition coupled with a prolonged low birthrate might be behind the aging population, experts said. South Korea's life expectancy stood at 80.5 as of 2009.
Of the centenarians, 54.4 percent cited well-regulated diet as the main reason for their
longevity, while 31 percent pinpointed optimistic lifestyles. About seven out of ten said that they have never smoked or drunken any alcohol.
More than seven out of ten are suffering from an illness. Of them, 33.9 percent are suffering from dementia. The ratio for females was 36 percent, compared with 20.9 percent for male counterparts, the data showed.
Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province has the most centenarians at 360, followed by Seoul with 270 and South Jeolla Province with 163, respectively, according to the data.