Suicide leads causes of death among teens to 40s, cancer from 50s
The number of deaths in Korea last year reached the second-highest level on record, while suicide was the leading cause of death among people in their teens through their 40s, according to data released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on Tuesday. Although both the number of suicides and the suicide rate declined from the previous year, teenagers stood out as an exception, with their…
In 2025, Korea experienced its second-highest number of deaths on record, with suicide emerging as the leading cause of death among individuals aged 17 to 40, according to data released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics. Despite a decrease in the overall number of suicides and the suicide rate compared to the previous year, this age group witnessed a notable exception, with their suicide rate reaching an all-time high.
Meanwhile, cancer became the leading cause of death for those in their 50s and older, revealing a stark contrast in mortality patterns across different age groups.
Suicide claimed more than half of all deaths among Koreans in their teens and twenties in 2025, a trend that underscored its disproportionate impact on younger generations. For teenagers, the suicide death rate was 51.2 percent, while for those in their 20s, it rose to 53.5 percent. This figure then decreased to 42.3 percent among individuals in their 30s and further to 25.4 percent among those in their 40s.
The overall suicide death rate also increased progressively across these age groups, with the rate standing at 8.6 per 100,000 among teenagers and progressively higher in older age groups.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- Suicide leads causes of death among teens to 40s, cancer from 50s koreatimes.co.kr
