More than half of the population in agricultural households in South Korea is aged 65 and older. While the number of agricultural households has increased, the size of farmland is decreasing, and the proportion of small-scale farms is growing. This reflects a simultaneous trend of population aging and a reduction in operational scale.
According to the '2025 Agricultural Census' released by the National Data Agency on September 29, the total number of agricultural households as of December 1 last year was 1.276 million, with a population of 2.575 million. Compared to 2020, the number of agricultural households increased by 210,000 (19.7%), and the population grew by 190,000 (8.0%). However, caution is advised in interpreting this increase, as the census expanded its target list using administrative data from land registries and fishing registration records.
Population Aging in Agricultural Households
The most significant change in agricultural households is the aging population. The proportion of individuals aged 65 and older in agricultural households has risen to 51.0%, an increase of 9 percentage points since 2020. This is 30.3 percentage points higher than the overall population's 20.7% in that age group.
The share of elderly individuals in farming households is 51.3%, while it is 48.2% in fishing households and 47.8% in forestry households. The median age of the agricultural household population is now 65.3 years, up 3.1 years from 2020, and 18.5 years older than the overall median age of 46.8 years. The median age for farming households is 65.3 years, for fishing households it is 64.5 years, and for forestry households it is 64.4 years.
Household sizes have also decreased. The predominant household type in agricultural households is two-person households, which account for 53.8% of the total. The proportion of one-person households has risen to 27.2%, an increase of 7.2 percentage points since 2020, while the shares of three-person and larger households have declined. This indicates a trend toward smaller household units alongside population aging.
Increase in Agricultural Households, Decrease in Farmland
In agriculture, a notable reduction in operational scale has been observed. The number of farming households is recorded at 1.242 million, with North Gyeongsang Province having the highest number at 189,000 (15.2%), followed by South Jeolla Province at 154,000 (12.4%) and Gyeonggi Province at 153,000 (12.3%). Of these, 61.2% are full-time farmers, while 38.8% are part-time farmers, with the proportion of full-time farmers increasing by 1.3 percentage points since 2020.
The total farmland area across all farming households is 1.076 million hectares, a decrease of 3.6% from 2020. The average farmland per household has dropped from 1.08 hectares to 0.87 hectares, a reduction of 0.21 hectares. Meanwhile, the proportion of farms with less than 0.5 hectares of farmland has increased from 51.9% to 61.8%, a rise of 9.9 percentage points. Farms with less than 1 hectare now account for 81.2% of the total.
There has also been an increase in small-scale farms in terms of agricultural and livestock product sales. The share of farms with sales below 10 million won has risen from 70.2% in 2020 to 73.9% in 2025, while the proportion of farms with sales above 30 million won has decreased from 13.3% to 12.4%. This indicates a trend toward smaller agricultural operations despite the increase in the number of farms.
Changes in crop composition have also been noted. The proportion of farms primarily cultivating rice has decreased from 39.6% in 2020 to 36.3% in 2025, while the share of vegetable and wild edible plant farms has increased from 16.3% to 20.5%. Fruit farms account for 17.1%, and food crop farms make up 14.6%.
Aging in Fisheries and Growth of Capture Fisheries
The aging trend is also evident in the fishing sector. The number of marine fishing households has increased to 47,000, up by 4,000 from 2020, but the fishing population has decreased by 2,000 to 95,000. The proportion of individuals aged 65 and older in fishing households has risen to 48.2%, up 12.2 percentage points from 2020. The median age has also increased from 60.8 years to 64.5 years.
The primary operational form in fisheries is capture fishing, which now constitutes 80.3% of the total, an increase of 4.3 percentage points from 2020. Notably, the share of capture fishing that does not use fishing vessels has risen from 32.2% to 41.8%, while the proportion of aquaculture has decreased from 24.0% to 19.7%.
Aging is also a concern in forestry. The proportion of individuals aged 65 and older in forestry households is 47.8%, and 76.7% of forestry managers are in their 60s or older. The share of forestry households engaged solely in cultivation has increased to 85.8%, up from 76.6% in 2020.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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