SUICIDE RATE IN SOUTH KOREA IS THE HIGHEST AMONG MAJOR ADVANCED NATIONS

Citizens are passing by the ‘SOS Life Phone’ installed on Mapo Bridge in Yeouido, Seoul.

Fri 23 February 2024:

Based on the most recent data, South Korea has the highest suicide rate among the main advanced nations, with around 13,000 suicides in 2022.

The suicide rate among the major developed nations decreased slightly in 2022, but it is still high, according to Yonhap News in Seoul, which cited Statistics Korea.

According to the statistics, 24.1 persons in every 100,000 died by suicide in the nation.

Lithuania came in second with 18.5, then Slovenia with 15.7, Japan with 15.4, and Belgium with 14.8, according to the agency.

“Suicide closely links to individuals’ quality of life. The suicide rate tends to increase in accordance with drastic social changes or instability so it represents structural features of a society and social unity,” Statistics Korea said in its report.

The suicide rate among men is higher than women.

The still high suicide rate was driven by the elderly population, who suffered both financial and emotional difficulties amid the insufficient social security program for the elderly and the rising single elderly households that feel lonelier without a family to live with.

The suicide rate among those in their 70s reached 37.8 in 2022, with the rate for those in their 80s or older hitting 60.6.

The rates for those in their 40s, 50s and 60s all stayed below 30 in the cited year.

The suicide rate for South Korean men came to 35.3 in 2022, more than double 15.1 for women.

South Korea has also seen a steady decline in new births despite spending about $200 billion over the last 16 years to promote population growth.

Last year, the World Economic Forum warned that if the current low birth rate continues, the nation “will be less than half what it is now by the end of the century.”

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol also warned last year that “time is running short” and urged the authorities to approach the issue of low birthrates with extraordinary determination.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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