The share of people aged 65 and older in Korea's farming population has surpassed half for the first time. With young and working-age populations shrinking while the elderly group grows rapidly, concerns are mounting over widening care gaps in rural areas. The government plans to work with nationwide women farmers' organizations to proactively identify at-risk rural households, including single elderly residents.
According to the preliminary results of the "2025 Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Census" released by Statistics Korea on Tuesday, the country's farming population stood at 2.507 million as of December 1 last year. Of that total, 1.286 million, or 51.3%, were aged 65 or older. The share rose 9.0 percentage points from 42.3% in 2020, crossing the 50% threshold for the first time.
The aging of farming households stands out even more when compared with the overall population. While people aged 65 and older accounted for 20.3% of Korea's total population last year, their share in the farming population was 31.0 percentage points higher — roughly 2.5 times the national level. The median age of the farming population was 65.3, 18.6 years older than the overall median of 46.7.
The generational imbalance in agriculture has also widened. The number of farming residents aged 65 and older rose by 306,000 from 980,000 in 2020 to 1.286 million last year. Over the same period, those aged 15 to 64 fell by 85,000 from 1.234 million to 1.149 million, while those aged 0 to 14 dropped by 29,000 from 100,000 to 72,000. The demographic structure of Korea's farming sector is rapidly reshaping around the elderly.
By age group, the center of gravity of the farming population has already shifted to those in their 60s and older. Those aged 70 and above accounted for the largest share at 34.5%, followed by those in their 60s at 30.9%. Including those in their 50s, 81.1% of the farming population was aged 50 or older.
The aging of farm operators has also intensified. The average age of farm operators was 67.7 last year, up 1.6 years from 2020. Operators aged 60 and older made up 78.8% of the total, with those aged 70 and above alone accounting for 44.1%. In contrast, operators under 40 accounted for just 5.5%. The generation actually responsible for running farms is also skewing heavily toward the elderly.
Household structures are also shrinking. The average number of members per farming household was 2.0, below the national average of 2.3. Two-person households made up 54.0% of farming households, while single-person households accounted for 27.1%, up 7.1 percentage points from 2020. With more than eight in 10 farming households now consisting of one or two people, the burden of daily care in rural areas is growing.
Statistics Korea cautioned that the latest survey incorporated additional administrative data, including farmland registries, fishery registration records, and forestry management entity lists, meaning direct comparisons with the 2020 survey should be made with care. Final results will be released in September this year.
Agriculture Ministry Responds: Identifying Vulnerable Households Through Farm Housewives' Associations in 142 Cities and Counties
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) said it will strengthen efforts to identify and support vulnerable rural households in partnership with the National Federation of Farm Housewives' Associations, which is active in 142 cities and counties across the country. The decision reflects the view that rural areas face rapid aging and population decline, and that widely dispersed residences make it difficult to respond quickly to safety incidents or health emergencies.
The Farm Housewives' Association is a women farmers' organization active in 830 eups and myeons across 142 cities and counties in 15 metropolitan cities and provinces. Its membership totals 37,038. The group has run programs including the Hope Dream Volunteer Corps, side-dish sharing, a Zero Farm Waste campaign, and education support for multicultural families.
Starting this year, MAFRA plans to link the association's daily care activities, such as side-dish sharing and household support, with efforts to identify households facing mental health crises. During visits, members will deliver mental health information and contacts for relevant agencies. If warning signs such as avoidance of conversation or changes in sleep patterns are detected, cases will be referred to local suicide prevention centers or mental health welfare centers.
Responses to heatwaves will also be strengthened. MAFRA plans to check on elderly households during heatwave periods, advising them on when to stay indoors and guiding them to nearby cooling shelters. Working with the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (Nonghyup), the ministry will also provide heat-response items such as cooling scarves and cooling tissues.
"Members of the Farm Housewives' Association are neighbors who know rural residents well and enjoy deep trust from the community," said Jeon Han-young, director general of MAFRA's Rural Policy Bureau. "Through this partnership, we hope to ensure that rural residents in need of help are not overlooked."
