Suicide now No. 1 cause of death among South Koreans in 40s

SEOUL – South Korea is facing a deepening suicide crisis, with new government data showing that intentional self-harm has overtaken cancer as the top cause of death among people in their 40s for the first time since records began in 1983.

Statistics Korea said on Sept 25 that 14,872 people died by suicide in 2024, up 6.4 per cent from the previous year and marking the highest toll in 13 years. The national suicide rate rose to 29.1 deaths per 100,000 people, its highest since 2011 and nearly three times the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average of 10.8.

Men died by suicide at a rate 2.5 times higher than women.

Suicide has long been the leading cause of death among South Koreans in their teens, 20s and 30s, but it now dominates among those in their 40s, a key economic demographic.

In this age group, suicide accounted for 26 per cent of deaths in 2024, surpassing cancer at 24.5 per cent. In 2023, cancer still slightly outpaced suicide in the same cohort.

The suicide rate also rose, from 31.6 to 36.2 per 100,000. Experts point to a mix of mental health struggles and economic pressures as possible drivers, noting that people in their 40s tend to be less influenced than younger groups by the “Werther effect”, in which high-profile suicides lead to an increase among the general population.

Suicide is also on the rise in other age brackets, although the rate fell among those in their 70s and the over-80s. Among teens, suicides made up 48.2 per cent of all deaths in 2024, up from 46.1 per cent in 2023. For people in their 30s, the proportion rose to 44.4 per cent from 40.2 per cent a year earlier.

Overall mortality in South Korea climbed back up in 2024, with 358,569 deaths recorded, a 1.7 per cent rise from 2023. Cancer remained the overall leading cause of death, accounting for nearly a quarter of all fatalities.

Lung cancer recorded the highest cancer mortality rate, followed by liver, colorectal, pancreatic and stomach cancers. Deaths from prostate, esophageal and pancreatic cancers all showed notable increases.

Heart disease remained the second-leading cause of death in 2024, with a mortality rate of 65.7 deaths per 100,000 people, followed by pneumonia (59.0), cerebrovascular disease (48.2), suicide (29.1), Alzheimer’s disease (23.9), diabetes (21.7) and hypertensive disease (16.1).

An ageing population is also driving the overall rise in deaths. People aged 80 or older accounted for 54.1 per cent of all deaths in 2024, an increase of 15.3 percentage points compared to a decade ago. As South Korea’s population rapidly ages, experts warn that the combined pressures of elderly care, chronic illness and rising suicide rates pose an increasingly complex challenge for public health policy.

Despite years of national campaigns and policy efforts to reduce suicides, South Korea continues to have the highest suicide rate among OECD member states. The authorities say urgent and comprehensive measures are needed to address the escalating crisis that now claims more lives in midlife than any other cause. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK