Signal Korea's prime working-age share (30 to 59) drops from 51.4 to 46.2 percent by 2033

Summary

The report projects that people aged 30 to 59, the prime working-age group, will decline by about 1.816 million between 2023 and 2033. Their share of the population aged 15 and over would slip from 51.4 percent to 46.2 percent, a fall of 5.2 percentage points. KEIS presents this as the clearest evidence that the main body of the workforce is contracting. The drop takes place while the total adult population still grows slightly, so the additional headcount is found outside the core working ages. In its list of key supply findings the report stresses that this group, which used to account for more than half of the working-age population, loses weight rapidly while the share aged 70 and over rises.