More Korean middle school students experience feelings of depression: data

In 2025, a higher percentage of Korean middle school students experienced feelings of depression compared to their high school counterparts, according to data released by the Korean Educational Development Institute. This trend marked the third consecutive year where middle school students had the greater share of depression. In 2025, 26.2 percent of middle school students reported feeling depressed, whereas 25.1 percent of high school students experienced similar emotions.

The definition of depression in this study was based on experiencing sadness or despair severe enough to disrupt daily routines for at least two weeks over the past year. In 2024, the proportion of middle school students suffering from depression was 27.9 percent, surpassing the 27.5 percent recorded for high school students. The same pattern was observed in 2023, where 26.3 percent of middle school students experienced depression, compared to 25.6 percent of high school students.

Tragically, during the January-June period of this year, 112 students from elementary, middle, and high schools took their own lives. Out of these tragic incidents, 43, or 38.4 percent, were middle school students, as reported by the education ministry.