The number of dementia patients among individuals aged 65 and older in the country is projected to surpass 1 million next year. This means that 1 in 10 elderly individuals will suffer from dementia. Additionally, the number of elderly individuals with mild cognitive impairment, which can worsen into dementia, is expected to exceed 3 million next year.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare released the results of the '2023 Dementia Epidemiology and Status Survey' on the 12th. This survey was conducted from March 9, 2023, to November 29 of last year.
The survey estimates that the elderly population expected to have dementia next year will be 1,014,865. The number of elderly individuals with dementia is projected to reach 1,212,315 in 2030, 1,795,287 in 2040, and 2,007,848 in 2044. This is lower than the previous government projections regarding the increase in the elderly dementia population. The Ministry of Health and Welfare estimated in its previous survey in 2016 that the dementia population would reach 1.08 million next year and that the number of dementia patients would exceed 2 million around 2040.
Additionally, the proportion of elderly individuals aged 65 and older who are likely to suffer from dementia (dementia prevalence rate) is calculated to be 9.25% (as of 2023). This is a decrease of 0.25 percentage points compared to the previous survey (9.5%). By gender, it was found that the dementia prevalence rate is higher among females than males. While the combined dementia prevalence rate for both genders is 9.25%, it is 8.85% for males but 9.57% for females. Among household types, the dementia prevalence rate for elderly individuals living alone is recorded at 10%, higher than that for those living with others. The dementia prevalence rate for elderly individuals living with a spouse and another cohabitant is 5.2%, while it is 4.9% for those living alone with a spouse.
The expense for each dementia patient receiving treatment in facilities or hospitals averages 31.38 million won annually. In contrast, the expense for patients residing in the community is 17.34 million won per person. Community-residing patients utilize services such as customized elderly care and home health management provided by the government or local governments.
Care expenses accounted for the largest portion of dementia management costs. For patients residing in facilities or hospitals, care expenses make up 49% (15.33 million won). This is followed by healthcare expenses (47% or 14.89 million won) and indirect costs (4% or 1.16 million won). For community-residing patients, 67% (11.62 million won) of expenses were for care. Additionally, healthcare expenses accounted for 25% (4.38 million won) and indirect costs for 8% (1.33 million won). Consequently, about 40% of patients' families reported feeling economic burdens during the caregiving process.
The number of elderly individuals diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment in the country is projected to reach 2.98 million next year. It is expected to exceed 4 million in 2033 and reach 5.04 million in 2040. Accordingly, the prevalence rate of mild cognitive impairment among the elderly is 28.42% (as of 2023), which is an increase of 6.17 percentage points compared to the previous survey (22.25%). Mild cognitive impairment is classified as a precursor to dementia, although it is not dementia.
The number of elderly individuals diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment is predicted to increase more rapidly compared to dementia patients. The government anticipated in the 2016 survey that this number would surpass 4 million around 2040, which is 7 years earlier than the earlier projection.
This is attributed to the refinement of diagnostic criteria for dementia and mild cognitive impairment, as analyzed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. It is possible to filter out mild cognitive impairment during dementia testing. In the past, due to lack of separation, many cases of mild cognitive impairment were left untreated and progressed to dementia.
Im Eul-gi, director of elderly policies at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, noted, "With the continued increase in dementia patients due to aging population, we will proactively implement various policies to prevent dementia and alleviate the burdens of dementia patients and their families."