Long-lived, Healthy
The life expectancy of South Koreans was 83.6 years, the second longest among member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Life expectancy is the number of years a child born in a given year is expected to live. On the other hand, the nation had the highest suicide death rate.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on July 25 the level and status of healthcare in Korea and other countries by analyzing the details of the OECD Health Statistics 2023 by major fields and indicators. The OECD Health Statistics covers statistics on healthcare in general including health levels, health risk factors, healthcare resources, healthcare service utilization, and long-term care.
Life expectancy in Korea (83.6 years) was 3.3 years longer than the OECD average (80.3 years). It increased from 80.6 years in 2011 to 83.6 years in 2021 due to improved living conditions and medical care. South Korea’s life expectancy ranks among the highest of OECD member countries. By country, Japan has the longest life expectancy (84.5 years in 2021). France (82.4 years) and Germany (80.8 years) had long life expectancies, while the United States (76.4 years) and Mexico (75.4 years) have low.
South Korea’s avoidable mortality rate was 142.0 per 100,000 people as of 2020. The figure was lower than the OECD average of 239.1. Avoidable deaths are deaths that could be prevented through disease prevention activities (preventable deaths) and deaths that could be avoided through the provision of timely treatment services (treatable deaths). By country, Japan had the lowest rate at 134.0. This was followed by South Korea, Germany (195.0), the United Kingdom (222.0), the United States (336.0) and Mexico (665.0). Over the past decade, South Korea’s avoidable mortality rate has decreased by an average of 5 percent per year. It dropped from 228.0 in 2010 to 177.0 in 2015 and 142.0 in 2020.
South Korea’s suicide mortality rate per 100,000 people in 2020 was 24.1, the highest among OECD member countries. It was more than twice as high as the OECD average (11.0). This was followed by Japan (15.4), the United States (14.1), Germany (9.7), the United Kingdom (8.4), and Mexico (6.3).
Korea’s infant mortality rate as of 2021 was 2.4 per 1,000 births, 1.6 lower than the OECD average (4.0).
The smoking rate (15.4 percent) and annual alcohol consumption per capita (7.7 liters) of the Korean population aged 15 and over were at the OECD average (a 15.9 percent smoking rate and 8.6 liters of alcohol consumption). By country, smoking rates were lower in the United States (8.8 percent) and Mexico (8.6 percent), and higher in Japan (16.7 percent) and France (25.3 percent). The percentage of overweight and obese people (36.7 percent) among those aged 15 and over was the second lowest among OECD member countries (57.5 percent on average), after Japan (27.2 percent).
South Korea’s number of outpatient visits per capita (15.7 times per year) was the highest among OECD member countries. The nation’s current health expenditures were 9.3 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP), slightly lower than the OECD average (9.7 percent).