Middle school depression rates surpass those of high schools

The share of Korean middle school students reporting prolonged feelings of depression was higher than that of high school students for the third straight year in 2025, data showed Sunday.

The figure stood at 26.2 percent for middle school students last year, compared to 25.1 percent for high school students, according to data compiled by the Korean Educational Development Institute.

The survey defined feelings of depression as sadness or hopelessness severe enough to disrupt daily activities for two consecutive weeks in the previous 12 months.

In 2024, 27.9 percent of middle school students reported such feelings, compared to 27.5 percent of high school students. The figures were 26.3 percent and 25.6 percent, respectively, in 2023.

A total of 112 elementary, middle and high school students died by suicide from January through June this year. Of them, 43, or 38.4 percent, were middle school students, according to Ministry of Education data.

Last year, 244 students died by suicide, including 92 middle school students.

Yonhap