Cataract Surgery Remains Most Common, Cesarean Sections Up 10% in a Year

Cataract surgery, general spinal surgery, and cesarean sections were the most frequently performed surgeries among South Koreans last year, according to data.

The National Health Insurance Service published the 2025 Major Surgery Statistics Yearbook, detailing the status of 35 major surgeries.

Last year, the total number of the 35 major surgeries stood at 2,151,936, marking a 4.8% increase from the previous year.

Cataract surgery, which consistently ranks as the most common procedure among South Koreans, totaled 692,126 cases last year, up 4.2% from the year before.

General spinal surgery ranked second with 199,147 cases, a 1.5% decrease.

Cesarean sections ranked third with 177,232 cases, showing a 10.2% increase compared to the previous year.

Total medical expenses for the 35 major surgeries reached 10.6738 trillion won, representing a 14.7% increase from the previous year.

The surgery with the highest total medical expenses was general spinal surgery at 1.0161 trillion won, followed by percutaneous coronary intervention at 1.0033 trillion won, and cataract surgery at 907.4 billion won.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.