Elderly outnumber children for the first time ever in Seoul： report 늙어가는 서울..

South Korea has one of the fastest aging populations in the world，... and... as you′d expect... this trend is being reflected in the nation′s capital. For more on Seoul′s shifting demographics，... Won Ji－hyun reports. There′s been a dramatic shift in Seoul′s population. The city has announced that， for the first time in history， more seniors were living in the capital than those under the age of 15. According to Seoul Statistics， the number of city residents who are older than 65 was more than 1－point－2－million as of April. That′s nearly 5－thousand more than the number of young people below the age of 15. Along with that， the city′s aging index has also surpassed 100 for the first time last month. The index is the ratio of seniors over 65 to those who are younger than 15. And a reading above 100 indicates that the elderly population is outpacing the young. This means that there are now more senior citizens to support than those who are economically active. The index started at just below 22 in 1996， but has jumped nearly 5 times in recent years， climbing up to 100－point－4 last month. The trend has also raised the average age in the capital to 40－point－2. And people in their 40s and 50s are now the average in many areas throughout Seoul. A city official expressed his concerns regarding the quickly aging population， in addition to the country′s falling birthrate. At this pace， he predicts that seniors will represent more than 14－percent of Seoul′s population by the year 2018. Won Ji－hyun， Arirang News.