Suicide Rate and Deaths Reach Highest Levels Since 2011... Suicide Becomes Leading Cause of Death Among People in Their 40s

Suicide Becomes the Leading Cause of Death Among People in Their Teens to 40s

Last year, South Korea recorded its highest suicide mortality rate (the number of suicides per 100,000 people) and number of suicides since 2011. Both the suicide rate and the number of suicide deaths were the fourth highest on record. Notably, for the first time, suicide surpassed cancer as the leading cause of death among people in their 40s.

According to the "2024 Cause of Death Statistics" released by Statistics Korea on September 25, the suicide mortality rate per 100,000 people last year was 29.1, a 6.6% increase from the previous year. The number of suicide deaths (14,872) also rose by 894 (6.4%) from the previous year, reaching the highest level since 2011.

Statistics Korea explained in a briefing, "Both the suicide rate and the number of suicides are the highest since 2011 and the fourth highest in history." The agency added, "While it is difficult for Statistics Korea to analyze the specific causes, according to the 2024 Suicide Prevention White Paper, the main causes were identified as mental and physical health issues, followed by economic difficulties and problems related to physical health and disease."

By age group, suicide was the leading cause of death among those in their teens to their 40s, while cancer was the top cause for those in their 50s and older. In particular, among people in their 40s, cancer (25.9%) had been the leading cause of death until last year, but this year suicide overtook it for the first time since statistics have been recorded. The suicide rate among people in their 40s last year was 36.2 per 100,000, a significant increase from 31.6 the previous year. Suicide rates also rose sharply among those in their 30s and 50s: for people in their 30s, the rate increased from 26.4 to 30.4, and for those in their 50s, from 31.6 to 36.2.

The total number of deaths in 2024 was 358,569, an increase of 6,058 (1.7%) from the previous year. Due to the aging population, people aged 80 and above accounted for 54.1% of all deaths, which is a 15.3 percentage point increase compared to ten years ago. Compared to the previous year, the number of deaths decreased among those aged 1-9 (-1.3%), teens (-3.9%), and people in their 20s (-4.6%), but increased among those in their 30s and older.

By cause of death, cancer, heart disease, and pneumonia remained the top three causes, accounting for 42.6% of all deaths. Cancer was responsible for 24.8% of all deaths, and the cancer mortality rate was 174.3 per 100,000 people, a 4.5% increase from the previous year. Among cancers, lung cancer, liver cancer, and colorectal cancer were the most common causes of death.

Among the elderly, deaths due to dementia and Alzheimer's disease increased sharply. The number of deaths from dementia was 14,978, up 5.1% from the previous year. The dementia mortality rate was 29.3 per 100,000 people, an increase of 1.5 from the previous year, and by gender, the rate was 39.5 for women-2.1 times higher than for men. Last year, the mortality rate from Alzheimer's disease increased by 10.3% compared to the previous year. Statistics Korea stated, "As the aging trend accelerates, deaths from Alzheimer's disease are also expected to increase."