South Korea’s life expectancy reached 83.5 years in 2023, exceeding the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average of 81.1 years by 2.4 years, according to a report released on Wednesday by the Paris-based organization.
The OECD Health Statistics 2025 report, published through South Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare, revealed that despite improvements in life expectancy and health outcomes, the country still maintains the highest suicide rate among OECD member nations.
Life expectancy is defined as the average number of years a newborn is expected to live based on current mortality trends. The report also highlights enhancements in various medical outcomes.
South Korea’s avoidable mortality rate, which measures the average number of deaths from preventable causes, was 151.0 per 100,000 people in 2022. This figure is significantly lower than the OECD average of 228.6, with a lower number indicating a higher quality medical environment.
This rate has declined by an average of 3.1 percent annually over the past decade, indicating consistent improvements in healthcare quality.
The country’s infant mortality rate was also lower, at 2.5 deaths per 1,000 live births, compared to the OECD average of 4.1.
High Suicide and Smoking Rates Amid Rising Obesity
South Korea has led the statistics for suicide mortality since 2003.
The most recent comparable data from 2022 showed South Korea’s suicide rate at 23.2 deaths per 100,000 people—more than double the OECD average of 10.7.
However, there are signs of gradual improvement.
Between 2012 and 2022, Korea’s suicide rate dropped by 23.4 percent, from 30.3 to 23.2, outpacing the OECD average decline of 16.4 percent over the same period.
In 2023, South Korea’s health expenditure amounted to 8.5 percent of its gross domestic product, slightly below the OECD average of 9.1 percent. Nonetheless, due to the rapidly aging population, per capita health spending has grown faster than in most other countries.
Korea’s per capita health expenditure increased by an average of 7.8 percent annually over the past decade, compared to an OECD average increase of 5.2 percent. In terms of purchasing power parity, which compares the purchasing power of different currencies, this figure was $4,586 per capita in 2023.
In 2023, 15.3 percent of South Koreans aged 15 and older were classified as daily smokers, which is higher than the OECD average of 13.2 percent. However, the smoking rate has been steadily declining, down from 19.9 percent in 2013 and 17.5 percent in 2018.
Meanwhile, per capita annual alcohol consumption was 7.8 liters in 2023, below the OECD average of 8.6 liters. Similar to smoking, alcohol intake has been trending downward over the past decade.
Despite having lower rates of overweight and obesity compared to other OECD countries, South Korea is experiencing a gradual increase in obesity. In 2023, 36.5 percent of people aged 15 and over had a body mass index of 25 or higher—making it the second-lowest among OECD countries after Japan, which stood at 26 percent. While still low in ranking, this represents an increase from 31.5 percent in 2013 and 34.3 percent in 2018.
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