Depression cases in Korea surpass 1.1 million in 2024, marking record high

Last year, the number of people diagnosed with depression in Korea surpassed 1.1 million, a record high.

Rep. Seo Mi-hwa of the Democratic Party of Korea analyzed data from the National Health Insurance Service and released it on Tuesday. According to Rep. Seo, the number of Koreans diagnosed with depression in 2024 reached 1,106,603, a 32.9 percent increase from 832,483 in 2020.

During the same period, the number of medical visits for depression also increased by 33.3 percent, from 6,394,820 to 8,524,815.

The number of patients with depression is showing a steep upward trend, increasing at an average annual rate of 7.4 percent. More specifically, the number of depression patients totaled 832,483 in 2020, 915,910 in 2021, 1,001,046 in 2022, 1,043,732 in 2023, and 1,106,603 patients in 2024.

Analysis of last year's patients by gender and age revealed that female patients numbered 743,590, accounting for 67.2 percent of the total, while male patients numbered 363,013, representing 32.8 percent. Additionally, women in their 20s, 30s, and 40s—a socioeconomically active age group—comprised 33.2 percent of all patients.

By age group, the increase in patients under 10 was particularly notable.

The number of patients under 10 years old increased from 991 in 2020 to 2,162 in 2024, representing a 118.2 percent rise over the five-year period. During the same period, teens experienced an 83.5 percent increase, those in their 30s saw a 69.7 percent increase, and those in their 40s saw a 52.4 percent increase, indicating a clear rise among younger generations, as well as children and adolescents.

By region, Gyeonggi Province had the highest number of patients at 305,293, accounting for 27 percent of the total. This was followed by Seoul with 253,534, Busan with 79,084, and Incheon with 64,789, generally aligning with population size.

“For mental health issues, early detection and timely intervention are paramount. To achieve this, expanding national mental health infrastructure is urgently needed,” Rep. Seo said. “Depression is a common mental health condition that anyone can experience, akin to a cold of the mind. Social efforts are necessary to improve the negative perception surrounding depression.”