Cancer remained South Korea’s top cause of death in 2022, the country’s statistical office showed on Thursday.
A total of 162.7 deaths rate per 100,000 people were recorded in 2022, up from 161.1 deaths in the previous year of people who died of cancer, according to Statistics Korea.
Cancer has continued to rank first in the country since relevant data collation began in the country in 1983.
Lung cancer was the the highest with 36.3 deaths per 100,000 people, followed by liver cancer at 19.9, colorectal cancer at 17.9, pancreatic cancer at 14.3, and gastric cancer at 13.9.
Statistics Korea also showed that cardiac disorder was the second highest cause of death, at the rate of 65.8 deaths per 100,000 people, followed by COVID-19 which recorded 61.0 deaths per 100,000 people in 2022.
On the top 10 list of causes of death in South Korea were pneumonia with 52.1; cerebrovascular disease at 49.6; Alzheimer, 22.7; diabetes, 21.8; hypertensive disorder, 15.1; and liver disorder, 14.7.
Suicide ranked sixth with a rate of 25.2 deaths recorded per 100,000 people in 2022, slightly down from the 26.0 deaths in the previous year.
Suicide was the first killer among South Koreans in their 10s, 20s, and 30s in 2022. (Xinhua/NAN)
