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Korea's suicide rate drops by 7.4 percent, first decline in 3 years

Published: 25 Feb. 2026, 17:07

A telephone connecting callers to a suicide prevention hotline service is displayed on Mapo Bridge in western Seoul on Sept. 25, 2025. [NEWS1]

The number of people who died by suicide last year fell 7.4 percent from 2024, marking the first decline in Korea’s suicide rate in three years.

Experts say the easing of the Werther effect — the tendency for publicized deaths to trigger copycat actions — may have contributed to the drop in the rate.

According to provisional data released Wednesday by the Ministry of Data and Statistics, 13,774 people died by suicide last year, down 1,098 from 14,872 in 2024. The figure is similar to that of 2023, when 13,978 deaths were recorded. Korea’s suicide rate, the highest among members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, had risen from 25.2 per 100,000 people in 2022 to 29.1 in 2024 before dropping last year.

By gender, suicide deaths declined 7.4 percent for both men and women. By age group, the largest drop was seen among people in their 20s, reducing by 14 percent. Deaths also fell significantly among those in their 60s by 10.4 percent, and in their 40s by 10.1 percent. However, the number increased among teenagers and younger by 5.4 percent, and those aged 80 and older by 0.9 percent.

In 2024, the number of deaths from suicide reached its highest level in 13 years. The economic downturn affecting the self-employed and the death of actor Lee Sun-kyun in December 2023 may have played a role, with suicides surging from the beginning of 2024. In contrast, last year recorded fewer suicide deaths than the same months in 2024 except for June, August and September.

Analysts say the recent decline may be partly due to a slowdown in the Werther effect. Although actor Kim Sae-ron died last year, the amplification of her death through social media and news coverage was relatively limited. This contrasts with the aftermath of Lee’s death in 2023, when suicides among middle-aged men spiked.

A message saying ″the sun will rise tomorrow″ is attached on a fence on Mapo Bridge in western Seoul to dissuade people from suicide attempts in September 2018. [NEWS1]

Another factor cited is the fading impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which had intensified feelings of isolation and depression.

“During large-scale disasters like Covid-19, people tend to endure because everyone is going through hardship together,” said Lee Dong-woo, a psychiatry professor at Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital and head of the Korea Association for Suicide Prevention. “But in 2023 and 2024, as the pandemic subsided, accumulated difficulties surfaced and suicide rates rose. Last year, that shadow appears to have eased somewhat.”

Suicide prevention is one of the issues President Lee Jae Myung has shown personal interest in. The government last year announced a national suicide prevention strategy, including one-stop support services for survivors of suicide and bereaved families, as well as the designation of suicide prevention officers in local governments. The goal is to reduce the suicide rate to fewer than 17 deaths per 100,000 people by 2034.

Still, risk factors such as murder-suicides and suicides among adolescents and the elderly remain a concern.

“To sustain the downward trend, the government must maintain steady attention to the issue and significantly expand investment in health care and mental health services,” Prof. Lee said. Park Jung-woo, director of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s suicide prevention policy division, said the government will continue to refine its policies by strengthening case management for high-risk groups and utilizing AI tools.

If you or someone you know is feeling emotionally distressed or struggling with thoughts of suicide, LifeLine Korea can be contacted at 1588-9191 or the Crisis Counseling Center at 1577-0199. The Seoul Global Center offers English-language counseling, contact 02-2075-4180 (+1) to arrange a session. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.

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 JUNG JONG-HOON [[email protected]]