The proportion of centenarians in Korea is the lowest among the members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a report showed Monday.

The number of elderly aged 100 and over in Korea was two per 100,000, the lowest in the survey of 18 OECD nations, according to the report. The survey conducted by Professor Kim Jong-in of Wonkwang University was published in the Ageing International journal.

France topped the list with 36 centenarians per 100,000 people, followed by Japan and the United States with 20 and 18, respectively.

The proportion of centenarians was high in countries that had higher rates of public-sector spending on health care and medical support.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)