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. For the third year in a row, the share of middle school students reporting depression stood at 26.2 percent, surpassing the 25.1 percent of high school students, as reported by the institute's study.

The institute defines feelings of depression as experiencing persistent sadness or despair severe enough to disrupt daily routines for two consecutive weeks within a year. In 2024, the proportion of middle school students dealing with depression was 27.9 percent, which was higher than the 27.5 percent for high school students. This trend was also evident in 2023, when 26.3 percent of middle school students experienced feelings of depression, compared to 25.6 percent of high school students.

Furthermore, during the first half of this year, 112 elementary, middle, and high school students took their own lives in total, with 43, or 38.4 percent, being middle school students, as per data from the education ministry.