8 out of 10 Deaths Related to Chronic Diseases

Eight out of every 10 deaths in Korea are caused by chronic illnesses such as cancer, heart disease and cardiovascular ailments, according to a recent report by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Chronic illnesses accounted for 79.9 percent of fatalities in 2019, but infectious diseases for only 11 percent and injury and other causes for 9.1 percent.

Cancer killed 27.5 percent, followed by cardiovascular illnesses (10.5 percent), cerebrovascular diseases (7.3 percent), Alzheimer's (2.3 percent), liver diseases (2.2 percent), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (2.1 percent) and hypertension (1.9 percent).

But the risk of death from chronic diseases is gradually on the decline. "Health awareness is increasing, while preventive measures are also available causing the avoidable mortality rate to drop sharply from 329.2 per 100,000 people in 2000 to 138.1 in 2019," the KDCA said.

But it added that the growing elderly population will continue to increase the socioeconomic burden resulting from chronic illnesses.