More than half of taxi drivers in South Korea are over 65

More than half of taxi drivers in South Korea are over the age of 65, highlighting a significant trend of aging in the transportation sector. In the bus industry, the number of workers aged 65 and older has increased by over 60% in the past five years, while the influx of younger workers remains low.

On October 7, Rep. Bok Gi-wang of the Democratic Party analyzed data from the Korea Transportation Safety Authority regarding the age distribution of transportation workers over the past five years (2022-2026). This year, out of 826,317 registered transportation workers nationwide, 228,407, or 27.6%, are aged 65 and older. This marks an increase of 58,125, or 34.1%, from 170,282 in 2022.

The aging trend is most pronounced among taxi drivers. Of the 237,331 taxi drivers in the country, 119,362, or 50.3%, are over 65. This means that more than one in two taxi drivers is in this age group. The proportion of drivers aged 65 and older has steadily risen from 43.3% in 2022, surpassing the 50% mark for the first time this year.

The bus industry has also seen a rapid increase in older workers. The number of bus drivers aged 65 and older rose from 19,591 in 2022 to 31,662 this year, a 61.6% increase over five years.

In contrast, the proportion of younger workers remains low. Among all registered transportation workers, those under 40 years old number 67,682, accounting for just 8.2%. Specifically, only 2,630 taxi drivers, or 1.1% of the total, are under 40. The representation of women in the transportation workforce is also limited, with only 2.1% (17,307 women) of the total.

Rep. Bok stated, "The fact that half of the nation's taxi drivers are over 65 and that the bus industry is also seeing a rapid increase in older workers is a concern that goes beyond simple demographic changes; it raises questions about the sustainability of the public transportation workforce."

He added, "We will work on legislative measures to support the acquisition of driver qualifications and initial settlement funds for young people and women entering the field, while also improving the working conditions for transportation workers and strengthening the public transportation safety net."