The number of those who live in the farming area was 2,245,000 in 2019, down 84.4 percent from 14,422,000 tallied in 1970, according to Statistics Korea.
The reading continued to decline to 10,827,000 in 1980, 6,661,000 in 1990, 4,031,000 in 2000 and 3,063,000 in 2010 respectively.
Of the total farming area population, those aged 65 or higher accounted for 46.6 percent in 2019, up from a mere 4.9 percent recorded in 1970.
The rural area's rapid aging was attributed to the younger generation, who continued to rush to urban area for jobs or study.
The number of farm households was 1,007,000 in 2019, down 59.4 percent from 2,483,000 tallied in 1970.
From 1970 to 2019, the income of farm households grew at an annual average rate of 10.9 percent.
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