Examining the Residential Mobility Patterns and Mobility Factors of Elderly Households: Single and Couple Households Living in the Seoul Metropolitan Region

Abstract

In 2020, there were 1,060.0 ten thausand households in the Seoul metropolitan region, accounting for 49.3% of all households in Korea, and a total of 4,166.0 ten thausand households have moved within the Seoul metropolitan area over the past 20 years, excluding the same city, county, and district. Among them, a total of 227.0 ten thausand households moved to one person aged 65 or older or elderly couples. The reason why elderly households, which account for 5.4% of all households in housing movement, are important is that Korea has a fast low birth rate and aging rate, and a super-aging society is expected in 2025. Recently, it was reported that Korea also has the fastest rate of low birth rate and aging among OECD countries. This is also the reason why interest and discussion on elderly households are needed, and housing is an indispensable issue among welfare policies. In general, elderly households aged 65 or older can be viewed as single-person households due to divorce or bereavement after their adult children are separated, and they need to analyze where, how much, and why they move their housing. This shows how housing consumption is being adjusted from the perspective of consumers, not suppliers, by observing various perspectives on housing policies for elderly households.