Seoul, October 4 (IANS). Cancer, heart disease and pneumonia were the leading causes of death in South Korea in 2023. This information was given in a report on Friday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, suicide was the biggest cause among people under 30 years of age. A total of 3,52,511 deaths were recorded in the country in 2023, which was 5.5 percent less than the previous year.
The report also noted that 689.2 deaths were recorded per 100,000 South Korean citizens, down 38.3 percent from last year.
According to the report, 24.2 percent of the total deaths in 2023 were due to cancer, 9.4 percent were due to heart disease, and 8.3 percent were due to pneumonia. These three causes accounted for more than 40 percent of the total deaths.
At the same time, suicide was the fifth leading cause of death in South Korea, responsible for 4 percent of deaths.
A total of 13,978 people committed suicide in 2023, which was 8.3 percent more than the previous year. This figure indicates 27.3 suicides per 100,000 South Korean citizens.
Suicide remains the leading cause of death among people aged 10 to 39 in 2023, and the problem has been plaguing South Korea’s economy for the past decade.
According to the data, suicide was also the second leading cause of death among people aged 40 and 50.
South Korea currently has the highest suicide rate among OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries. According to 2020 data, there were 24.1 suicides per 100,000 people, followed by Lithuania at 18.5 and Slovenia at 15.7.
–IANS
AS/
