ANKARA

South Korean population has been dropping for three years in a row, with the number of single-person houses approaching 10 million, according to government figures released on Sunday.

The country's registered population was nearly 51.44 million as of end-2022, a 0.39% decline from 2021, the Interior and Safety Ministry said.

Single-person households increased to 9.72 million, accounting for 41% of all households. In comparison, two-person households accounted for 65.2% of the total.

The average number of people per family has fallen to a new low of 2.17, according to the official data.

The male population decreased for the fourth consecutive year to 25.63 million, while the female population decreased for two years in a row to 25.80 million.

People in their 50s made up 16.7% of the population, while those aged 65 and above accounted for 18%.

South Korea is expected to become a super-aged society by 2025, with people aged 65 and above accounting for 20% of the total population, according to local Yonhap News Agency.

The country became an old society in 2017, with the proportion of such people exceeding 14%.