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Child and adolescent suicide rate on the rise

Published: 01 Oct. 2025, 16:27 Updated: 01 Oct. 2025, 16:38

Police patrol around an elementary school in Daegu amid an increase in attempted kidnapping cases across the country on Sept. 12. [YONHAP]

Korea’s child and adolescent suicide rate reached its highest level on record in 2023, driven in part by a surge in suicides among 12- to 14-year-olds, according to new government data.

The National Data Agency’s “Child and Youth Quality of Life 2025” (translated) report released on Wednesday shows that the suicide rate for children and adolescents was 3.9 per 100,000 people in 2023 — the highest since records began in 2000. The rate had peaked at 9.7 per 100,000 in 2009 before falling from 2010 to 2015, but it began climbing sharply again in 2017.

The 12- to 14-year-old age group saw its rate rise from 1.1 per 100,000 in 2000 to 2.8 in 2019 and 5.0 in 2023. For 15- to 18-year-olds, the rate increased every year after 2017 to reach 11.4 per 100,000 in 2023.

Survey data also shows that young people are experiencing severe stress. Last year, 42.3 percent of middle and high school students said they felt “very much” or “a lot” stressed in their daily lives. The rate of anxiety disorders was also 14.1 percent last year.

Among 15 year olds, only 65 percent rated their life satisfaction at six points or higher on a 10-point scale, with 10 being the happiest. Out of 34 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, only Poland at 64 percent, Chile and Britain at 62 percent respectively, and Turkey at 43 percent ranked lower than Korea. The Netherlands topped the list at 87 percent.

In contrast to the deterioration in emotional well-being, physical conditions have improved. Korea’s relative poverty rate for children and adolescents fell from 16.4 percent in 2011 to 8.6 percent in 2023, nearly halving over the period. Relative poverty is defined as the share of people living on 50 percent or less of a country’s median income.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM CHUL-WOONG [[email protected]]