Seoul — South Korea’s Statistical Office revealed that cancer, heart disease, and pneumonia were the leading causes of death among South Koreans in 2023.

The death rate from cancer reached 166.7 per 100,000 people in 2023, up from 162.7 in 2022, making it the top cause of death since data collection began in 1983.

The report stated that the death rate from lung cancer was 36.5 per 100,000 people, the highest among cancer-related deaths, followed by liver cancer at 19.8, colorectal cancer at 18.3, pancreatic cancer at 15.0, and stomach cancer at 14.1.

Heart disease ranked second in 2023 with a death rate of 64.8 per 100,000 people, while pneumonia came third with a death rate of 57.5 per 100,000 people, rising from the fourth-leading cause of death the previous year.

Other causes in the top 10 include stroke, with a death rate of 47.3 per 100,000 people, Alzheimer’s disease at 21.7, diabetes at 21.6, hypertension at 15.6, and sepsis at 15.3.

Additionally, the suicide death rate was 27.3 per 100,000 people, making it the fifth leading cause of death in 2023, up from 25.2 in 2022. Suicide was the number one cause of death among individuals aged 10-19, 20-29, and 30-39 in 2023.

In total, South Korea recorded 352,511 deaths in 2023, a 5.5% decrease compared to 2022.

 

 

Sources:

        Xinhua

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        ArokaGO Cancer Symptoms

        ArokaGO Pneumonia Symptoms