Seoul: Suicide deaths in South Korea reached the largest number in 13 years last year, a local suicide prevention agency said Wednesday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, preliminary data by the Korea Foundation for Suicide Prevention (KFSP) reported a total of 14,439 suicide cases in 2024, with a daily average of 39.5. This marked the highest count since 2011, when the figure was 15,906.

The suicide rate, defined as the number of suicides per every 100,000 South Koreans, was 28.3 in 2024, the highest level since 2013. Of the total cases last year, 10,341 were men, while 4,098 were women.

By age, individuals in their 50s accounted for 21 percent of the total, followed by 19 percent in their 40s, 16.5 percent in their 60s, and 13.4 percent in their 30s, according to the KFSP. The official data by Statistics Korea for last year will be available in September.

In 2023, the country reported 13,978 suicide deaths, according to the statistics agency. South Korea had the highest suicide rate among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member nations based on the 2021 data, with 24.3 out of every 100,000 people. Lithuania and Slovenia followed with rates of 18.5 and 15.7 deaths, respectively, the agency said.