SEOUL: Suicide deaths in South Korea reached the largest number in 13 years last year, a local suicide prevention agency said Wednesday (Feb 26).
According to preliminary data by the Korea Foundation for Suicide Prevention (KFSP), a total of 14,439 suicide cases were reported in 2024, with the daily average recorded at 39.5.
It marked the highest count since 2011, when the figure came to 15,906.
The suicide rate, which means the number of suicides per every 100,000 South Koreans, came to 28.3 in 2024, the highest level since 2013.
Of the total cases last year, 10,341 were men, while the remaining 4,098 were women.
By age, those in their 50s accounted for 21 per cent of the total, followed by 19 per cent in their 40s, 16.5 per cent in their 60s and 13.4 per cent in their 30s, according to the KFSP.
The official data by Statistics Korea for last year will be available in September.
In 2023, the country reported 13,978 suicide deaths, according to the statistics agency.
South Korea had the highest suicide rate among the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member nations based on the 2021 data, with 24.3 out of every 100,000 people.
Lithuania came next with 18.5, and Slovenia with 15.7 deaths, the agency said. - Yonhap via The Korea Herald/ANN
