In 2023, the number of suicide and self-harm attempts that visited emergency rooms exceeded 46,000, and nearly half of them were in their teens and twenties. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 14 (Korea Bizwire) — The National Medical Center reported on February 13 that over 46,000 people sought emergency care for suicide attempts or self-harm in South Korea in 2023, with nearly half of the cases involving individuals in their teens and twenties.
According to data from the Central Emergency Medical Center, there were 46,359 cases of self-harm or suicide attempts among the 5.83 million emergency room visits at major medical centers across South Korea in 2023.
Women accounted for 63.9% of cases with 29,607 incidents, while men represented 16,752 cases. The total number of attempts increased by 10.5% (4,404 cases) in 2023, following a slight decline from 42,366 in 2021 to 41,955 in 2022.
The rate per 100,000 individuals rose to 90.6 cases (65.8 for men and 115.3 for women), an increase of 8.8 cases from the previous year.
Age distribution analysis revealed that people in their 20s represented the highest number of cases across both genders, with 12,592 cases accounting for 27.2% of the total. Teenagers followed with 8,308 cases, representing 17.9%. Combined, these youth cases amounted to 20,900, or 45.1% of all incidents.
The remaining age groups showed a declining trend, with those in their 30s accounting for 6,590 cases, 40s with 6,159 cases, 60s with 3,441 cases, 70s with 2,081 cases, and those 80 and above recording 1,839 cases.
When measured per 100,000 people, the highest rates were found among those in their 20s at 200.2 cases, followed by teenagers at 177.9 cases, and those in their 30s at 100.4 cases.
Of the total attempts, 2,289 resulted in death, with middle-aged groups showing the highest fatality rates. The 50s age group recorded 372 deaths, followed by those in their 40s with 348 deaths, and those in their 60s with 338 deaths.
The mortality rate per 100,000 was highest among those 80 and older at 13.7, followed by those in their 70s at 8.1 and 60s at 4.5, with an overall average of 4.5 deaths per 100,000.
Poisoning was the most common method across all age groups, followed by cutting or stabbing, and asphyxiation.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
