Seoul, March 12
Nearly one out of 10 older adults in South Korea suffer from Alzheimer's disease, with the number of dementia patients expected to surpass 1 million next year, data showed on Wednesday.

According to the data compiled by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the number of dementia patients has reached 970,000 as of 2025, accounting for 9.17 per cent of those aged 65 or older, Yonhap news agency reported.

The figure is anticipated to surpass the 1 million mark next year and the 2 million in 2044. The ministry said the proportion of dementia cases among older adults decreased from the corresponding tally of 9.5 per cent in 2016, attributing the drop to improved education levels and health conditions of older adults.

"The proportion of dementia cases among older people is expected to stay around the 10 per cent level until 2045 and increase to around 12 per cent to 13 per cent by 2059," a ministry official said.

The ministry said it will devise support measures for dementia patients to lessen the financial and caregiving burden on their families. Meanwhile, a recent survey by the Korea Institute of Public Administration showed that the number of South Koreans feeling anxiety and depression increased last year, Yonhap reported.

The respondents who said they felt anxiety recorded 4.1 out of 10 points last year, compared with 3.4 points in 2023, and feelings of depression also ticked up from 2.8 points to 3.5 points in the same period.

The survey was conducted on 8,251 adults from August to September last year to examine the level of social integration and public perception.

On the other hand, the public perception of happiness recorded an average of 6.8 points, a 0.1-point increase from the previous year.

At the same time, the lowest income group, with less than 1 million won ($693) in monthly earnings, said they felt happiness decreased by 0.1 points from the year before to 6.0 points, whereas the same rate for the highest income groups with over 6 million won in monthly earnings increased from 6.8 points to 7.0 points last year.

Nearly 1 in 10 elderly in S. Korea suffer from Alzheimer's disease