In this file photo dated April 1, 2021, an elderly woman receives the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at a vaccination center as part of vaccinations for senior citizens over 75 years old, in Seoul. (PHOTO / AFP)

SEOUL — South Korea was expected to be one of the world's oldest countries in 2070 due to the fastest population aging, statistical office estimate showed Friday.

The proportion of South Korean people aged 75 or higher to the country's total population stood at 7.7 percent in 2023, according to Statistics Korea.

The proportion of South Korean people aged 65 or higher was forecast to climb from 18.4 percent in 2023 to 31.9 percent in 2037 and 46.4 percent in 2070

It was forecast to rise to 16.0 percent in 2037 and 30.7 percent in 2070.

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The South Korean figure in 2070 was estimated to be the highest among members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the statistical agency said, citing the United Nations World Population Prospects 2022.

The 2070 estimates for Japan, Spain, Italy, Poland and the United States came in at 25.6 percent, 24.8 percent, 24.1 percent, 22.6 percent and 16.0 percent respectively.

The proportion of South Korean people aged 65 or higher was forecast to climb from 18.4 percent in 2023 to 31.9 percent in 2037 and 46.4 percent in 2070.

Among those aged 65-74, 59.6 percent expressed hope in 2022 to get a job in the future. It was up 11.9 percentage points from 10 years earlier.

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The reading for those aged 75-79 advanced 11.8 percentage points to 39.4 percent in the cited period.

In 2021, 59.3 percent of those aged 65-74 said their income was insufficient compared to their average living cost.

The corresponding figure for those aged 75 or higher was 63.8 percent in 2021.