July 31, 2025
SEOUL – South Korea’s life expectancy reached 83.5 years as of 2023, surpassing by 2.4 years the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s average of 81.1 years, a report released by the Paris-based organization showed Wednesday.
The same OECD Health Statistics 2025 report released via South Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare showed that the country continues to report the highest suicide rate among OECD member nations, despite progress in life expectancy and health outcomes.
Life expectancy refers to the average number of years a newborn is expected to live based on current mortality trends. Indicators also show improvements in medical outcomes.
South Korea’s avoidable mortality rate, which refers to the average number of deaths from preventable causes, stood at 151.0 per 100,000 people in 2022, significantly lower than the OECD average of 228.6. A lower number means the quality of the medical environment is higher.
The rate has declined by 3.1 percent on a yearly average over the past decade, indicating a steady improvement in health care quality.
The country’s infant mortality rate was also lower, at 2.5 deaths per 1,000 live births, compared to the OECD average of 4.1.
Since 2003, the country has topped the list in suicide mortality.
The latest comparable data from 2022 showed South Korea’s suicide rate stood at 23.2 deaths per 100,000 people — more than twice the OECD average of 10.7.
At the same time, there have been signs of gradual improvement.
From 2012 to 2022, Korea’s suicide rate dropped by 23.4 percent, from 30.3 to 23.2, outpacing the OECD average decline of 16.4 percent over the same period.
In 2023, South Korea’s current health expenditure amounted to 8.5 percent of gross domestic product, slightly lower than the OECD average of 9.1 percent. However, due to the rapidly aging population, per capita health spending has grown faster than in most countries.
Korea’s per capita health expenditure rose by an average of 7.8 percent annually over the past decade, compared to the OECD average increase of 5.2 percent. In terms of purchasing power parity, which is a yardstick for comparing the purchasing power of different currencies, the figure stood at $4,586 per capita in 2023.
In 2023, 15.3 percent of South Koreans aged 15 and older were classified as daily smokers, higher than the OECD average of 13.2 percent. However, the smoking rate has been steadily declining, down from 19.9 percent in 2013 and 17.5 percent in 2018.
Meanwhile, per capita annual alcohol consumption was 7.8 liters in 2023, below the OECD average of 8.6 liters. Alcohol intake, similar to smoking, has trended downward over the past decade.
Despite lower rates of overweight and obesity compared to other OECD countries, South Korea is seeing a gradual rise in obesity. In 2023, 36.5 percent of people aged 15 and over had a body mass index of 25 or higher — the second-lowest among OECD countries after Japan at 26 percent. While still low in ranking, this marked an increase from 31.5 percent in 2013 and 34.3 percent in 2018.
jychoi@heraldcorp.com
