South Korea recorded nearly 4,000 solitary deaths in 2024, a 7.2 percent increase from 3,661 in 2023, amounting to 1.09 deaths per 100 overall deaths. More than 80 percent of the victims were men, with those in their 50s and 60s accounting for over 60 percent of all cases.
Suicide accounted for 13.4 percent of all lonely deaths, but the proportion was higher among people in their 20s and 30s, among whom roughly half of the cases were tied to suicide. Most incidents occurred in houses (48.9 percent) and apartments (19.7 percent), while smaller or more vulnerable housing such as one-room units, officetels, and gosiwons saw a rising share.
Landlords or security personnel discovered 43.1 percent of the cases, followed by family members (26.6 percent) and neighbors (12 percent).
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