Cancer, heart disease and pneumonia top causes of death in South Korea in 2025

Data released by Statistics Korea show that 2025 saw 362,968 deaths, a 1.2% increase over 2024, with a mortality rate of 712.6 per 100,000 people. Cancer was the leading cause, responsible for 24.9% of deaths, followed by heart disease at 9.4% and pneumonia at 8.5%, together comprising over 42% of all fatalities. Suicide ranked fifth overall at 4.1%, but stayed the top cause of death for those aged 10 to 49 and the second-most common for people in their 50s, with 14,144 suicides—a 4.9% decline from the prior year. These figures highlight the continuing public-health challenges facing South Korea.