SEOUL: In 2022, cancer continued to be the leading cause of death in South Korea, according to data from the country’s statistical office.
Cancer was responsible for 162.7 deaths per 100,000 people, a slight increase from the previous year’s rate of 161.1 deaths. This marked the ongoing trend since data collection began in 1983.
Among cancer-related deaths, lung cancer had the highest death rate at 36.3 per 100,000 people, followed by liver cancer at 19.9, colorectal cancer at 17.9, pancreatic cancer at 14.3, and gastric cancer at 13.9.
The second leading cause of death was cardiac disorders, which accounted for 65.8 deaths per 100,000 people in 2022.
The third highest was the COVID-19 pandemic, with a death rate of 61.0 per 100,000 people, significantly increasing from its 12th-place ranking in 2021.
Other top 10 causes of death included pneumonia at 52.1 deaths per 100,000 people, cerebrovascular disease at 49.6, Alzheimer’s disease at 22.7, diabetes at 21.8, hypertensive disorder at 15.1, and liver disorder at 14.7.
Suicide ranked sixth with a death rate of 25.2 deaths per 100,000 people in 2022, a slight decrease from 26.0 deaths in the previous year. Suicide was the leading cause of death among individuals in their 10s, 20s, and 30s in the same year. —Xinhua/APP
