October 31, 2025
SEOUL – The number of South Koreans diagnosed with depression and bipolar disorder each increased nearly 1.5-fold over the past six years, with most patients under the age of 40, data showed Thursday.
The patients with depression rose 47 percent from 752,976 in 2018 to 1.1 million in 2024, with their total medical expenses nearly doubling from 390.8 billion won ($284 million) to 761.5 billion won, according to data from the National Health Insurance Service cited by Rep. Kim Mi-ae of the main opposition People Power Party.
Those with bipolar disorder rose from 95,911 to 139,731 during the same period, and their total medical expenses increased 57 percent from 116.1 billion won to 182.3 billion won.
The combined medical expenses for the two mental illnesses amounted to 943.9 billion won last year, nearing the 1 trillion won mark.
Depression is a condition where a person often feels very sad or anxious for no clear reason, and these feelings keep coming back. Bipolar disorder occurs when a person’s mood changes between extreme highs and deep lows.
When broken down by age, all groups under the age 40 reported incidences of depression nearly doubling last year, compared with 2018, data showed.
The number of depression patients under 10 jumped from 967 to 2,162, while those in their 10s also saw a sharp rise, with cases increasing from 37,250 to 73,075.
Among people in their 20s, the figure rose from 97,675 to 194,638, and those in their 30s climbed from 90,156 to 191,123.
As of last year, the under-40 group accounted for 41.7 percent of all 1.1 million patients with depression.
In the case of bipolar disorder, the number of children under 10 diagnosed with the condition surged more than four times from 95 to 408 during the cited period, raising concern about the growing mental health challenges facing young children.
By gender, women accounted for 67.2 percent of depression patients and 62.4 percent of bipolar disorder patients last year.
“Depression and bipolar disorder are not just personal illnesses but reflect pathological problems within the social structure. The government should expand funding to address the growing mental health issues among young people and women in Korea,” Rep. Kim said.
