The number of people in the country between the ages of 55 and 79 has topped 16 million for the first time, recent government data showed Wednesday, with around 70 percent of them still wanting to work.

According to the May 2025 Economically Active Population Survey released by Statistics Korea, the number of people in that age group stood at 16-point-447 million, up 464-thousand from the same month last year, accounting for 36 percent of the population aged 15 and older.

Among them, 60-point-nine percent were economically active, up zero-point-three percentage points from a year earlier.

The number of employed older workers stood at nine-point-78 million, up 344-thousand from a year ago, and the employment rate was 59-point-five percent, up zero-point-five percentage points.

The number of economically active older people, employed and unemployed, increased 328-thousand on-year to breach the 10 million mark for the first time since related data was first compiled in 2005.

The data also found that around 70 percent of people in that age bracket want to continue to work or work in the future, mainly to cover their living expenses.

Among this demographic, 51-point-seven percent receive an average monthly pension of 860-thousand won, or roughly 619 U.S. dollars, which is only 63 percent of the minimum cost of living for one person and the reason analysts say older people have no choice but to continue to work.