Suicides down, but deaths up for sixth straight year The number of deaths in South Korea increased for the sixth consecutive year in 2012, but suicides fell for the first time in six years, data showed Wednesday. The increase in overall deaths was attributed to an aging population. However, 14,160 people took their own lives. The death rate for suicides – the number of deaths per 100,000 people – declined 11.4 percent to 28.1. This was the first fall since 2006. But the death rate from suicides is the highest among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member countries. The OECD average is 12.5. According to the Statistics Korea data, 267,221 people died last year, up 3.8 percent, or 9,825, from a year earlier. This marked the sixth consecutive annual increase. The figure was also the highest since 1983 when related data started to be compiled. Male deaths totaled 147,372, up 2.9 percent from a year earlier, while female deaths grew 5 percent to 119,849. The number of deaths per 100,000 people also rose for the third straight year to 530.8. The increase is attributable to an aging population, which means there are more elderly people with health problems. The number of deaths among people in their 70s and 80s rose 6 percent and 9.6 percent respectively in 2012. Cancer remained the leading cause of death, with 73,759 people dying from the disease. Heart-related illnesses claimed 26,442 lives, followed by 25,744 deaths from illnesses linked to blood supply to the brain.
Posted on: Sat, 28 Sep 2013 12:49:50 +0000
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