Determinants of Healthy and Active Ageing in Korea

Based on a framework developed by the World Health Organization, we construct an individual-level percentage measure of healthy and active ageing employing the results of a unique survey of ten thousand elderly Korean respondents conducted in 2020 and relate its values to the senior respondent’s physical, lifestyle, and socio-economic characteristics. We find that the median value of our healthy and active ageing index is approximately 40%, suggesting significant room for improvement. An important role in interpreting our empirical results is played by the apparent role of Korea’s senior employment as a means of “making ends meet” rather than a way of improving the quality of one’s ageing, suggesting an important direction for government policy development. Our results underscore the importance of promoting higher-quality employment opportunities for senior citizens as opposed to creating these opportunities per se. This appears especially important given the fast pace of Korea’s ageing.