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Serious health conditions like dementia are becoming more common as a cause of death in South Korea.
Alzheimer's disease - for example was the seventh highest cause of death in 2019.
The total number of deaths last year edged down slightly on-year, but was still the second highest on record.
Eum Ji-young reports.
The number of deaths in South Korea saw a slight decrease in 2019 for the first time in five years.
According to Statistics Korea on Tuesday, there were 295-thousand-110 deaths in South Korea last year,… down one-point two percent compared to the previous year.
However, it is still the second highest number recorded since statistics were first compiled in 1983.
More men died last year as the death rate,... which shows the number of deaths per 100-thousand people, was one-point-one-nine times higher for men than for women.
Reflecting South Korea's aging society, people in their 80s made up 47 percent of all deaths recorded last year,... an increase of almost 15 percentage points compared to 10 years ago.
Cancer, heart disease and pneumonia were the country's top three leading causes of death in 2019.
Those three accounted for almost 46 percent of all deaths in the country.
The number of deaths from senile diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, is also on the rise.
"Alzheimer's disease went up two spots from last year to rank 7th in 2019 among the top 10 leading causes of death."
The death rate due to Alzheimer's disease increased nine-point-five percent compared to the previous year and over 250 percent compared to a decade ago.
More than 10 thousand people died due to dementia including Alzheimer's disease in 2019,... up six-point-three percent on-year.
The death rate due to dementia was two-point-three times higher for women than men.
The number of deaths due to suicide was about 38 people per day on average in 2019,... with the 10 to 19 age bracket seeing the most suicides.
Eum Ji-young, Arirang News.
