Suicide Rate in South Korea Hits Highest Level Since 2011... Obesity Rate Nears COVID-19 Peak (Comprehensive)

National Data Office Releases "Quality of Life in Korea 2025"
Employment Rate, Job Satisfaction, and Per Capita Income Rise
Life Satisfaction Stagnant for Second Consecutive Year

South Korea's suicide rate has risen for two consecutive years, reaching its highest level since 2011. The obesity rate has also surpassed 38%, approaching the record high seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, both the suicide and obesity rates among those in their 40s—a core demographic of society—have worsened significantly compared to other age groups.

Yonhap News Agency

While economic conditions such as employment and income are gradually improving, indicators of mental and physical health are deteriorating.

According to the "Quality of Life in Korea 2025" report released by the National Data Office on March 5, 2026, the suicide rate in 2024 was 29.1 per 100,000 people, an increase of 1.8 from 27.3 in 2023. This is the highest figure since the record of 31.7 in 2011. The suicide rate had fallen below 26 per 100,000 from 2020 to 2022 but has been on the rise again since 2023.

By age group, the suicide rate increased for those in their 40s (up by 4.7), 50s (up by 4.0), and 30s (up by 3.9) compared to the previous year, while it decreased for those aged 80 and above (down by 6.1) and those in their 70s (down by 3.4).

South Korea's suicide rate is significantly higher than that of other countries.

As of 2022 (22.6 per 100,000), South Korea ranked first among the 38 OECD member countries. There is a large gap with Slovenia, which ranks second at 17.5 per 100,000. According to the National Data Office, most countries report suicide rates around 10 per 100,000.

The negative affect index, which reflects the level of depression and anxiety among Koreans, rose to 3.8 in 2024, up 0.7 points from the previous year. After declining from 4.0 in 2022, the index worsened again in three years.

The obesity rate in 2024 was 38.1%, an increase of 0.9 percentage points from 37.2% the previous year. The figure is close to the 38.3% recorded in 2020, when outdoor activities were restricted due to COVID-19.

By age group, the rate for those in their 40s was especially high at 44.1%, significantly higher than other age groups, all of which were below 40%. For those in their 40s, the rate rose by 6.4 percentage points from the previous year, the largest increase among all age groups.

The Quality of Life report consists of 71 indicators across 11 areas related to quality of life, including economic indicators such as employment, wages, income, consumption, and assets, as well as health, leisure, and safety.

The National Data Office evaluated, "This time, there were more deteriorating indicators in the areas of family and community, education, environment, and safety, but more improving indicators in employment and wages, income, consumption and assets, housing, leisure, and civic participation."

The employment rate for 2025 was 62.9%, up 0.2 percentage points from 62.7% the previous year. After dropping from 60.9% in 2019 to 60.1% in 2020, the employment rate has continued to rise.

Job satisfaction rose by 3.2 percentage points, from 35.1% in 2023 to 38.3% in 2025. This indicator has been improving steadily since 2015.

Real gross national income (GNI) per capita in 2024 was 43.81 million won, an increase of 3.5% from the previous year.

However, the relative poverty rate in 2024 was 15.3%, up 0.4 percentage points from the previous year.

The proportion of low-wage workers was 16.1%, a decrease of 0.1 percentage points from the previous year.

The National Data Office added, "The proportion of low-wage workers has been steadily decreasing from 19.0% in 2018 to 16.1% in 2024, but the rate in South Korea remains higher than in Japan (10.4%) and the OECD average (12.7%)."

Life satisfaction in 2024 was 6.4, unchanged from the previous year. After rising from 6.0 in 2020 to 6.5 in 2022, it fell slightly to 6.4 in 2023 and has remained at the same level for two years.

There was a clear difference according to income level. Households with an income below 1 million won had a life satisfaction score of 5.8, which is 0.6 points lower than the average.

Households with an income between 1 million and 2 million won, and those between 2 million and 3 million won, both scored 6.2.

For households with an income of 3 million won or more, the score ranged from 6.4 to 6.5, which is at or above the average.

Looking at international comparisons in the World Happiness Report, South Korea’s life satisfaction for 2022–2024 was 6.04, ranking 33rd among the 38 OECD member countries, the same as in the previous survey (2021–2023).

Among all 147 countries surveyed, South Korea ranked 58th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.