By SCMP’s Asia desk

Copyright scmp

Suicide has overtaken cancer as the main cause of death among South Koreans in their forties for the first time since records began in 1983, amid growing concerns that the country is facing a mental health crisis.
The country recorded 14,872 suicides last year – a 6.3 per cent rise from the previous year and the highest figure since 2011 – according to the latest “2024 Cause of Death Statistics” published by Statistics Korea on Thursday. That amounts to nearly 30 suicides per 100,000 people.
Overall, cancer was the top killer, accounting for about 25 per cent of total deaths. Cancer, along with heart disease and pneumonia, made up more than 42 per cent of total deaths. Suicide came in fifth at 4.1 per cent.
While suicide has long been the leading cause of death among teenagers and people under 30, it became the top cause of death among those in their forties for the first time in 2024. Of the 10,836 deaths recorded in that age group, 2,817 – or roughly 26 per cent – were suicides, according to The Korea Herald.

South Korea continues to have the highest suicide rate among member countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Last year, its suicide rate stood at 26.2 per 100,000 people – more than double the OECD average of 10.8. Men were especially vulnerable, with a suicide rate 2.5 times higher than women.
Experts told The Chosun Daily that several compounding factors could be behind the increase in suicides among those in their forties, including prolonged economic hardship and rising social pressures.
“It is possible that ordinary citizens, who had barely endured the Covid-19 pandemic, were driven to the brink and took their own lives,” said Yoo Seong-eun, a psychology professor at Chungbuk National University.
Observers have also flagged the so-called “Werther effect” – a phenomenon in which public figures’ suicides trigger a spike in copycat cases, particularly among those in similar demographics. The term takes its name from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s 18th-century novel The Sorrows of Young Werther, in which the protagonist dies by suicide.
Baek Jong-woo, a psychiatry professor at Kyung Hee University, told the newspaper the suicide of actor Lee Sun-kyun – best known for his role in the Oscar-winning film Parasite – in December 2023 may have had such an impact.

“Mentally unstable men in their late forties to early fifties, similar in age to Mr Lee, might have identified with him,” Baek said.
The government has acknowledged the need for urgent action. According to The Korea Herald, the country has launched a new five-year national strategy to curb injuries caused by accidents, falls and poisonings – which are currently the fourth leading cause of death and a major driver of hospital admissions. Under Korean law, suicide is classified as an injury, not a disease.
Approved by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the plan includes suicide-specific prevention measures such as expanded patrols in high-risk areas, installation of carbon monoxide detectors in homes and tighter monitoring of chemicals often used in suicide attempts.
South Korea is not the only Asian country grappling with rising suicide rates.
In Singapore, data shows that people in their thirties – often referred to as the “sandwich generation” as they juggle the demands of both childcare and care for the elderly – accounted for the highest number of suicides last year.
Meanwhile, Japan recorded its highest ever number of student suicides in 2023, with a particularly sharp increase among girls.
If you have suicidal thoughts or know someone who is experiencing them, help is available. In Hong Kong, you can dial 18111 for the government-run Mental Health Support Hotline.
You can also call +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page.