Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 Relationship Between Economic Fluctuations and the Suicide Rate

Chapter 3 Analysis of Determinants of Suicidal Thoughts, Suicidal Attempts, and Suicidal Death

Chapter 4 Economic Shocks and Suicidal Death

Chapter 5 Conclusion

Korea’s suicide rate is the highest in the world. The suicide rate, which rose sharply after the foreign exchange crisis in 1997, had some fluctuations, but overall steadily increased, reaching 30 per 100,000 population around 2010, and then began to decline, reaching a level of 25.2 as of 2022. Despite such decline, Korea has always been among the top-ranked OECD nations in terms of suicide rate. In fact, since 2018, Korea has consistently ranked first among OECD countries. As of 2022, the age-standardized suicide rates in OECD countries and Korea are 10.6 and 22.6, respectively, with Korea being twice higher than the OECD average.

Generally, suicidal death is known to be greatly influenced by an individual’s social and cultural environment or personal attributes such as depression. In Korea, since the suicide rate increased sharply amid rapid environmental changes surrounding the economy and society, such as restructuring after the foreign exchange crisis, intensifying competition, and widening income inequality, economic difficulties have been identified as a major cause of Korea’s high suicide mortality. However, despite the relatively abundant research findings, the work of accurately identifying factors affecting suicidal death is still not satisfactory due to the lack of appropriate data.

Accordingly, this study comprehensively and systematically analyzes how economic factors affect the suicide rate and suicidal death using both aggregate data and micro data. In addition, by analyzing the determinants of suicidal behaviors such as suicidal thoughts, suicidal attempts, and suicidal deaths, and comprehensively understanding the aspects of each type of suicidal behavior, this study aims to provide the basic evidence that can be used to understand Korea’s suicide problems more accurately and establish effective measures. In addition, by confirming heterogeneity by demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, this study seeks to provide objective grounds for setting specific and detailed policy improvement directions. (For the full text of the English summary, please download the “Download 2 English_Abstract”.)