Suicides Among Elementary, Middle, and High School Students Up Nearly 65% Over 5 Years, Reaching Record High of 244 Last Year

▲ Youth

The number of suicides among elementary, middle, and high school students has increased by nearly 65% over the past five years.

According to parliamentary audit data submitted by the Ministry of Education to Representative Kim Moon-su of the National Assembly's Education Committee, a total of 244 elementary, middle, and high school students died by suicide nationwide last year (6 in elementary school, 92 in middle school, and 146 in high school).

This is an increase of one person from the 243 cases tallied by the Ministry of Education when it announced the "Pan-Governmental Countermeasures for Preventing Teen Suicide" in June of last year.

Surging by 23 people (10.4%) from 221 in 2024, it marked an all-time high, and compared to 2020, it increased by 96 people (64.9%) over five years.

By city and province, the number of student suicides increased sharply in Seoul, Busan, and South Gyeongsang Province.

Last year, the number of student suicides in Seoul stood at 51, up 11 from 40 in 2024 and 29 more than the 22 recorded in 2020.

Busan recorded 22 cases last year, more than triple the number from 2024, while South Gyeongsang Province saw 25 cases last year, an increase of 5 in one year.

On the other hand, Gyeonggi Province, which has the largest student population, saw its number of student suicides drop by 12 to 51 last year compared to 63 in 2024, marking the lowest figure since 2021.

An analysis indicated that factors such as family and interpersonal relationship issues, harmful online information, and academic and career concerns contributed to students making extreme choices.

According to Ministry of Education data, family issues were the most common known cause of student suicides last year, accounting for 77 cases.

This was followed by 58 psychiatric cases, 54 academic and career cases, and 38 interpersonal relationship cases, with the cause unknown in 79 cases.

Academic and career issues were estimated to be a cause in more than one out of every five student suicide cases last year.

※ If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or other difficult concerns, you can receive 24-hour professional counseling by calling the suicide prevention hotline at ☎109 or through the suicide prevention social media counseling service "Madlan".

(Photo: Yonhap News)

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