Cancer remains S. Korea's top cause of death in 2022

Cancer remained South Korea's top cause of death in 2022, statistical office data showed Thursday.

Cancer caused 162.7 deaths per 100,000 people here in 2022, up from 161.1 deaths in the previous year, according to Statistics Korea. It continued to rank first since relevant data began to be compiled in 1983.

Among the cancer-caused deaths, the death rate from lung cancer marked the highest with 36.3 deaths per 100,000 people, followed by liver cancer at 19.9, colorectal cancer at 17.9, pancreatic cancer at 14.3, and gastric cancer at 13.9.

The second-highest cause of death was cardiac disorder, which caused 65.8 deaths per 100,000 people in 2022.

The third-highest was the COVID-19 pandemic with a death rate of 61.0 per 100,000 last year, rising from the 12th-highest cause of death in 2021.

On the top 10 list of causes of death were pneumonia with 52.1 deaths per 100,000 people, cerebrovascular disease at 49.6, Alzheimer's disease at 22.7, diabetes at 21.8, hypertensive disorder at 15.1, and liver disorder at 14.7.

Suicide ranked sixth with a death rate of 25.2 deaths per 100,000 people in 2022, slightly down from 26.0 deaths in the previous year.

Suicide was the first killer among those in their 10s, 20s, and 30s last year.