Five percent of Korea's population are registered as people with disabilities, almost half of whom are aged 60 and older.

According to an annual report on people with disabilities released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Tuesday, the number of individuals with a registered disability amounted to more than two-point-six million, or five-point-one percent of the population.

The figure has steadily grown since 2003 with the expansion of services provided for handicapped people, and has hovered around the five-percent range since 2010.

Of the registered group, over 23 percent are in their 60s, while nearly 22 percent are in their 70s.

More than 45 percent suffered from physical disabilities, while around 15 percent had hearing impairment and over nine percent have been diagnosed with developmental disorders.