South Korea’s suicide rate has surged to the highest level in nearly a decade. The suicide rate, which refers to the number of deaths by suicides per 100,000 people, reached 27.3 last year, the highest since 2014 (27.3), according to new government data.
Experts point to growing social isolation, loneliness, and feelings of relative deprivation many have felt since the COVID-19 pandemic as reasons behind the troubling rise in suicide rates.
Statistics Korea revealed on Oct. 4 that 352,511 people died in Korea last year, down 5.5% from the previous year. The death rate, which measures the number of deaths per 100,000 people, fell to 689.2, a 5.3% decline year-on-year.
Cancer remained the leading cause of death, accounting for 24.2% of cases, followed by heart disease (9.4%), pneumonia (8.3%), and cerebrovascular disease (6.9%).
Suicide accounted for 4% of all deaths, with 13,978 people taking their own lives last year. It was the fifth leading cause of death. The total suicide rate (27.3) jumped 8.5% compared to the previous year (25.2). The suicide rate for men reached 38.3 per 100,000 people, up 8.4% from a year ago, while the rate for women climbed to 16.5, rising 9%.
Experts explain the rise in suicides stems from increased social, economic, and cultural isolation during and after the pandemic. Many individuals struggled financially after government support measures provided during the pandemic ended.
“People are reporting heightened feelings of social isolation and deprivation after the pandemic, which appears to be contributing to the increase in suicides,” said a Statistics Korea official.
