Seoul, Sep 25 (NationPress) Cancer, heart disease, and pneumonia were identified as significant contributors to mortality among South Koreans in 2024, as reported on Thursday. Meanwhile, suicide continues to be the leading cause of death for individuals in their 40s and younger.

In the previous year, South Korea recorded a total of 358,569 deaths, marking a 1.7 percent increase compared to the prior year, according to Statistics Korea.

The agency noted that 702.6 deaths were recorded per 100,000 South Koreans last year, showing a 1.9 percent rise from the previous year.

The statistics revealed that cancer was responsible for 24.8 percent of all deaths in 2024, followed by heart disease at 9.4 percent and pneumonia at 8.4 percent. Together, these three conditions accounted for over 42 percent of total fatalities.

Suicide, on the other hand, ranked as the fifth leading cause of death, comprising 4.1 percent of total deaths.

Last year, 14,872 individuals took their own lives, reflecting a 6.3 percent increase from the previous year.

Suicide remained the predominant cause of death for those aged between 10 and 49 in South Korea in 2024, and it was the second leading cause for individuals in their 50s, as reported by Yonhap news agency.

South Korea holds the highest suicide rate among OECD member countries, with a rate of 26.2 per 100,000 individuals in 2024, significantly exceeding the OECD average of 10.8.

The World Health Organization defines cancer as a diverse group of diseases that can originate in almost any organ or tissue when abnormal cells proliferate uncontrollably, invade adjacent areas, or spread to other organs, a process known as metastasizing, which is a major contributor to cancer mortality. Other terms used for cancer include neoplasm and malignant tumor.

Pneumonia is an acute respiratory infection primarily caused by viruses or bacteria, capable of inducing both mild and severe illness across all age groups. Notably, it is the leading infectious cause of death among children globally.