Cancer remained the leading cause of death among South Koreans last year, according to data from Statistics Korea. A total of 352,511 deaths were recorded in 2023, a decrease of 5.5 percent from the previous year, marking a decline after three years of increases. The decline in the total number of deaths is partly attributed to the country’s COVID-19 measures. However, excluding deaths due to COVID-19, the overall number of fatalities actually increased.

COVID-19, which was the third leading cause of death in 2022, dropped to the 10th last year, whereas suicides saw a rise. Some experts believe the increase in suicides is linked to economic hardship continuing since the pandemic outbreak, heightening feelings of social deprivation. Still, Korea’s suicide rate has been the highest among the OECD countries in studies it has been included in since 2009.

Sepsis, the 11th leading cause of death here in 2022, rose to 9th place. Other causes of death, such as heart disease, pneumonia, Alzheimer’s and high blood pressure, have also increased in prevalence over the past decade.