South Korean elderly prefer home care over nursing facilities, survey finds

A significant majority of South Korea's elderly population, nearly 70%, wish to remain in their own homes even if their health declines, according to the 2025 Long-Term Care Survey. This strong preference for aging in place contrasts with the willingness of their family members to provide care, with only 43.5% of caregivers stating they would look after a worsening-condition recipient at home.

The survey, conducted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, involved 4,500 long-term care recipients, 3,368 family caregivers, and 4,500 care workers. It revealed that 70.9% of care recipients are women, and a growing proportion, 47.3%, are aged 85 or older. While 45.8% of recipients live alone, a substantial number of those receiving home-based care (43.6%) and even more of those in facilities (59.3%) were previously living alone.

Among recipients, 69.4% expressed a desire to stay in their current homes if their health worsened, a significant increase from 49.8% in 2022. Conversely, the desire to enter nursing facilities dropped to 17.6% from 28.7%, and to nursing hospitals from 17.8% to 11.2%. Recipients commonly suffer from multiple chronic conditions, with hypertension, dementia, and diabetes being the most prevalent.

The study also pointed to a growing demand for expanded home care services, including more hours, diverse service types, and on-demand assistance. New services like home rehabilitation and nutritional support are also sought. However, challenges persist, including the high proportion of elderly caregivers, the low wages for home-based care workers compared to facility-based staff, and the significant burden still felt by over half of family caregivers. The Ministry plans to address these issues by expanding home care limits for severe cases and introducing new services to support aging in place.

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This is the first time in my life that I have seen such a large number of people who want to live in their own homes.