– The number of lone deaths per 100,000 population increases every year in three regions (Daejeon, Gyeonggi and Jeonnam).
– In 2021, the number of lone deaths per 100,000 people decreased from the previous year in six regions (Gwangju, Ulsan, Chungbuk, Chungnam, Jeonbuk and Gyeongnam).
< 전년 대비 인구 10만 명당 고독사 발생 감소 지역 > : Please refer to the attachment body of the picture
○ (Relative to the number of deaths) Four regions (Seoul, Busan, Incheon and Gwangju) were identified as regions where the share of lone deaths out of all deaths is higher than the national average each year.
– There are two regions (Daejeon and Gyeonggi) where the percentage of loneliness deaths on the total number of deaths increases every year.
< 전체 사망자 중 고독사 비중 매년 증가 지역 > (unit: %)
○ Currently, 9 cities and provinces selected through public participation* are promoting the “Pilot Project for Prevention and Management of Lonely Death**” (August 22 – December 23), but cities and provinces outside the project regions pilot such as Incheon, Gwangju, Daejeon and Jeonnam As the problem of dying alone continues to emerge, it has been confirmed that the project needs to be scaled up nationwide as soon as possible.
* Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Ulsan, Gyeonggi, Gangwon, Chungbuk, Jeonbuk, Gyeongbuk
** A project to select and support services such as ① confirmation of safety, ② life support, ③ mental and psychological support, and ④ follow-up management after finding a person at risk of dying alone in the region
Current status of lone deaths by gender and age over the past 5 years
○ (Gender) The number of deaths from loneliness is more than four times higher for men than women each year, and the gap widened to 5.3 times in 2021.
– Over the past 5 years, the average annual increase rate of deaths from loneliness by gender by gender is 10.0% for men and 5.6% for women. At 0.4%, it was confirmed that the men were more vulnerable to death alone than women across indicators.
< 최근 5년간 성별 고독사 발생 현황(미상 제외) > : Please refer to the attachment body of the picture
○ (By age) The age group accounting for the largest share of lonely deaths is 50-60 years old, which has been confirmed to be 52.8~60.1% every year.
– Regarding the total number of deaths, the higher the age group, the higher the proportion of deaths, with the highest proportion being 80 and older, but lone deaths accounted for the highest proportion between 50 and 60 years old.
– Of all deaths from loneliness, the percentage of people aged 20 to 30 is approximately 6.3-8.4%.
< 고독사 중 연령별 비중 > (unit: %)
Places of lonely deaths in the last 5 years, etc.
○ The places where the loneliest deaths occur each year are houses*, apartments** and studio flats in that order.
*Home: Single Family Home, Multi-Family, Townhouse, Villa / **Apartment: Rental, General, Residential/Commercial
– As lone deaths occurring in homes account for more than half (50.3~65.0%) of each year, it has been confirmed that it is urgent to set up a prevention system focusing on densely populated multi-housing areas in order to discover groups at risk of lonely deaths.
< 고독사 주요 발생 장소 > (Units: people, %)
○ Brothers and sisters, landowners, neighbors and acquaintances were the first to discover (report) deaths in solitary confinement, and others were discovered (reported) by direct blood relatives, courier drivers, relatives, security guards and colleagues.
< 고독사 주요 최초 발견(신고)자 > (Units: people, %)
○ The suicide death rate* among the lonely dead is 16.5~19.5%, and it has been confirmed that the younger the age, the higher the number of lonely deaths by suicide.
* The share of deaths by suicide among all deaths during the same period was 4.2~4.7%
– As a result, it was confirmed that the lonely death prevention policy for young people should be actively linked and promoted with suicide prevention policies such as mental and psychological support.
< 연령별 고독사 중 자살 사망 비중 > (unit: %)
※ Plans to continuously analyze causes of death other than suicide by linking information with related organizations
Detailed analysis of solitary deaths in 2021
○ (State by province and age) As a result of the analysis of deaths by age in 17 provinces and cities, similar to national statistics, in most provinces, people aged 50 to 60 accounted for the largest share, and subsequently, people in their 40s or 70s It was confirmed that there was no distinguishing feature in the age classification of lonely death by province.
< 2021년 주요 시도별·연령별 고독사 발생 현황 > : Refer to the text of the attached file ‘Figure’
○ (Status by gender and age group) Among deaths from loneliness, males in their fifties* (26.6%) and males in their sixties (25.5%) account for more than half (52.1%). of prevention has been identified as urgent .
* Those who are unfamiliar with health care and housework and whose life satisfaction is rapidly declining due to job loss and divorce (Seoul National University Happiness Research Center, KB Institute of Finance, etc.)
< 2021년 성별·연령별 고독사 발생 현황 > : Refer to the attached file body “image”.
○ (State by location and age) The home was identified as the location where lone deaths occur most often across all age groups except those under 19 and in their 20s.
– Studios are the most common location for lonely deaths among under 19s and 20s, and the second most common location after homes for those in their 30s and 50s.
– Apartments are the second most common place for people over 60 to die alone.
< 2021년 장소별·연령별 고독사 발생 현황 > : Refer to the text of the attached file ‘Figure’
□ Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, together with National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee Member Kim Mi-ae and Ewha Womans University Research Institute for Age Integration and Aging, held a hearing public on the prevention of social isolation and death from loneliness on December 14 (Wednesday) at 14:00 in the 1st meeting room of the Sala dei Soci.
○ In this public hearing, after a presentation of the results of the “2022 Lonely Death Investigation” and the contents of the “1st Lonely Death Prevention Master Plan Establishment Study”, the views of the relevant ministries, local governments and experts will be gathered to establish a solitary death prevention and management system.
※ The list of chairmen and public hearing committees is [붙임 2] Reference
□ Health and Welfare Minister Cho Gyu-hong said, “This fact-finding survey is significant as a first step for government and local governments to respond responsibly to the new welfare blind spot crisis of dying alone.”
○ “As major overseas countries, such as the UK and Japan, which recently announced government strategies and the establishment of a dedicated organization in charge of loneliness and death,
○ Korea has also cooperated with the relevant ministries and local governments on the basis of public hearings on the “Loneliness Death Survey” and “Research on the creation of groundwork plans” to make every effort to establish the “1st Loneliness Plan basis for the prevention of solitary deaths” by the first quarter of 2023. I will wait,” he said.
□ A detailed report on the results of the 2022 Lone Death Survey will be released in the first half of 2023.
※ Annex 1. Statistical table of main results of 2022 Lonely Death Survey2. Overview of social isolation and the prevention of dying alone
