The population aged 65 or older has surpassed 10 million, accounting for 19.5 percent of the total officially registered population, the interior ministry said Thursday. The population of those aged 65 or over reached 10,000,062 as of Wednesday, out of a total population of nearly 51.27 million, according to the ministry. This means South Korea is just shy of becoming a "super-aged" society, defined as having more than 20 percent of the population aged 65 and over. In the age group, women numbered about 5.57 million, exceeding their male peers at about 4.43 million. Of the total, 5.51 million were living outside the broader Seoul area, surpassing those living in the capital region at 4.49 million. People in the age group represented 17.2 percent of the total population in the capital area and 21.8 percent in non-capital areas. South Jeolla Province had the highest ratio of people in the age group at 26.7 percent, followed by North Gyeongsang Province at 25.4 percent and Gangwon Province at 24.7 percent. The city of Sejong had the lowest ratio of 11.3 percent, while Seoul had nearly 19 percent. The population aged 65 or over accounted for 11.8 percent in 2013 and has since gradually increased to reach 15.5 percent in 2019 and 17.5 percent in 2022. Source: Yonhap News Agency