Elder abuse up 11%... In 2 out of 5 cases, the perpetrator is a spouse
The elder abuse status report shows a 16.8% surge in reports and an expansion of spouse abuse. Check the causes and countermeasures through the statistics, and quickly take a look at the trend of strengthening protections.
According to the "2025 Elder Abuse Status Report" released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, reports of elder abuse received by nationwide elderly protection agencies last year totaled 26,578 cases, up 16.8% from the previous year and more than 50% higher than five years ago. Of these, 7,973 cases were determined to be actual abuse, an increase of 11.2% from a year earlier.
The most common types of abuse were physical abuse and emotional abuse, followed by neglect and economic and sexual abuse. Most of the perpetrators were family members or relatives, and in particular, spouses accounted for the largest share at 39.4%, making up about 2 out of every 5 cases.
The ministry explained that the increase in abuse by spouses is related to the growing burden of care and support as more elderly couples live apart from their children. More than half of the victims were 75 or older, and the age of perpetrators was also trending upward. The ministry said it would strengthen protection by improving features of the elder abuse reporting app, among other measures.