South Korea recorded fewer suicide deaths in 2025, but the decline was uneven across age groups. New causes-of-death statistics released on September 22 show 14,144 deaths by suicide last year, 728 fewer than in 2024. That was a 4.9% fall in the number of deaths, while the suicide rate declined 4.7% to 27.8 per 100,000 people.
The improvement at the national level did not extend to teenagers. The suicide rate among people aged 10 to 19 rose 7.5% to 8.6 per 100,000, the highest level recorded for that age group. Suicide also remained the leading cause of death for people from their teens through their 40s, according to the annual report. The contrast makes the new data less a simple story of improvement than one of a widening age divide.
The national average hides an age divide
The figures are part of the national data agency's 2025 causes-of-death report, which recorded 362,968 deaths overall, up 1.2% from a year earlier and the second-highest total on record. Population aging remains a major driver: people aged 80 and older accounted for 54.7% of all deaths. Cancer remained the leading cause of death overall, followed by heart disease and pneumonia, while suicide ranked fifth across the total population.
The suicide figures also show a large gender gap. The male suicide rate was 39.7 per 100,000, more than twice the female rate of 16.0. Korea's rate remained the highest among OECD members in the comparison cited with the new statistics. The overall fall therefore represents a meaningful reversal after two years of increases, but it leaves the country at an unusually high level by international standards.
Why the teenage figure matters
For policy, the teenage increase is the clearest warning in the release. A national average can improve even while a smaller age group deteriorates sharply, and the 2025 data show why headline movement alone can obscure where the risk is concentrating. The fact that suicide remains the top cause of death across the 10s, 20s, 30s and 40s also gives the issue a much broader demographic reach than its fifth-place ranking in the all-age table suggests.
These are annual figures describing deaths registered in 2025, not a measure of what is happening week by week in 2026. The next question is whether the overall decline continues and whether the teenage rate turns down rather than setting another high. If you or someone you know in Korea is in immediate danger, call 119; the national suicide-prevention counseling line is 109.