SEOUL, July 23 (AJP)—South Koreans are among the world's longest-living people, but also have the highest suicide rate in the OECD.
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's analysis of the OECD Health Statistics 2026 released Thursday, South Korea again recorded the highest suicide rate among OECD members in 2023. A total of 24.8 people per 100,000 died by suicide, more than double the OECD average of 10.9.
Despite that grim statistic, the country ranked among the world's longest-lived nations. Life expectancy at birth for babies born in 2024 reached 83.7 years, 2.5 years above the OECD average of 81.2 years.
Only Switzerland (84.2 years), Japan (84.1), Spain (84.0) and Sweden (83.8) ranked higher, placing South Korea among the world's longest-lived countries.
South Korea also recorded relatively few deaths that could have been prevented through better public health measures or timely medical care. The rate stood at 139 deaths per 100,000 people, compared with the OECD average of 208.8. It has steadily improved over the past decade, falling from 194.0 in 2013 to 154.0 in 2018 and 139.0 in 2023.
Koreans also visited doctors more frequently than people in any other OECD country. The average person made 17.9 visits a year, nearly 2.7 times the OECD average of 6.6.
Healthcare spending, however, remained relatively modest. Current health expenditure accounted for 8.5 percent of GDP, below the OECD average of 9.3 percent. Annual healthcare spending reached about $5,098 per person in 2024, rising at an average annual rate of 8.5 percent over the past decade, outpacing the OECD average of 6.1 percent, partly due to the country’s rapidly aging population.
At the same time, the country continued to face a shortage of doctors. It had 2.6 practicing doctors per 1,000 people, including practitioners of traditional Korean medicine, compared with the OECD average of 4.0. Only Costa Rica ranked lower.
The total nursing workforce, including nurses and nursing assistants, stood at 9.8 per 1,000 people, slightly above the OECD average of 9.7. However, the number of registered nurses alone was 5.5 per 1,000, well below the OECD average of 8.8.
Meanwhile, the smoking rate among people aged 15 and older was 13.2 percent, close to the OECD average of 12.7 percent, while annual alcohol consumption averaged 7.6 liters per person, below the OECD average of 8.3 liters.
Weight-related indicators were comparatively favorable, although the trend is worsening. Korea had the second-lowest share of overweight and obese adults among OECD countries at 37.3 percent, behind only Japan's 25.3 percent and well below the OECD average of 58.7 percent. Still, the proportion has continued to climb, rising from 30.8 percent in 2014 to 33.7 percent in 2019 and 37.3 percent in 2024.
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