South Korea is a rapidly aging country, with 18% of the population over the age of 65, presenting new opportunities for U.S. dairy exporters.

Korean seniors are putting more focus on wellness through a balanced nutritional diet, adequate exercise and mindfulness practices.  Photo: Canva

South Korea is one of the most rapidly aging societies in the world. U.S. dairy suppliers will have a strategic advantage if they understand the trends and meet the needs of the country's senior consumers.

That's one insight from the U.S. Dairy Export Council's new "South Korea Snapshot" created by USDEC's Strategic Insights team. Only USDEC members with a login can access the full Snapshot on usdec.org here.  

While 10% of the global population is over age 65, 18% of South Koreans are currently over 65. This figure is expected to nearly double in the next 10 years, causing an increased focus on avoiding chronic illnesses and physical health challenges. 

Older Korean adults increasingly live in single households. They have higher education and income levels than previous Korean seniors. Today's Korean seniors focus more on wellness through a balanced nutritional diet, adequate exercise and mindfulness practices.

In the last year, 45% of all Koreans have increased spending on health and wellness compared to 37% of the global population. 

Koreans scrutinize labels. But traditional health and wellness claims on packaged food and beverages are not resonating as they used to with Korean consumers.

As consumers become more educated about nutrition, claims such as "organic" are being replaced by phrases like "immunity boosting" that address functional advantages.

Password-protected, only for USDEC members 

Subscribe to the U.S. Dairy Exporter Blog 

The U.S. Dairy Export Council fosters collaborative industry partnerships with processors, trading companies and others to enhance global demand for U.S. dairy products and ingredients. USDEC is primarily supported by Dairy Management Inc. through the dairy farmer checkoff. How to republish this post.