With the share of South Koreans aged 65 and over topping 20% for the first time, AXA General Insurance is promoting a comprehensive policy that covers illness, injury, hospitalization and long-term care.
The population aged 65 and over reached 10.723 million last year, up 601,000, or 5.9%, from a year earlier, according to the 2025 Population and Housing Census released by the National Data Office on the 26th. That group accounted for 20.7% of the total population.
Households consisting only of older adults totaled 4.313 million, a 7.6% increase from a year earlier. Of those, 2.456 million were single-person households of older adults, up 7.3% and equal to 10.9% of all ordinary households. Compared with 2020, households made up solely of older adults rose 45.5% and single-person households of older adults climbed 47.9%.
As more older adults live on their own, the need has grown to prepare for illness and accidents affecting parents who live apart from their children, as well as for the burden of care that follows extended treatment.
AXA General Insurance said its non-participating AXA All-in-One Comprehensive Insurance (renewable) covers major illnesses including cancer, brain and heart disease, along with hospitalization, surgery and injuries sustained in daily life. Policyholders can select the riders they need and structure coverage to fit their circumstances.
The company also offers a rider for fracture risk. It pays diagnosis and surgery benefits, based on the criteria set out in the policy terms, for fractures to major areas including the neck, thoracic and lumbar spine, pelvis and femur. Those who buy the general injury emergency room visit rider can receive a benefit for each visit when they are treated in an emergency room as an emergency patient because of an injury.
The policy also includes benefits designed for living costs and care burdens when treatment drags on. Rider holders can receive a monthly living allowance for five years, payable once after a cancer diagnosis is confirmed. Those hospitalized for one day or more for treatment of an illness can also receive caregiver support depending on the length of the stay.
"As both the older population and single-person households of older adults grow, there is a greater need to prepare for situations in which family members cannot always be nearby to provide care," an AXA General Insurance official said. "We will continue to strengthen coverage so that customers can prepare broadly not only for illness and injury but also for the living and care burdens that can follow treatment."
