KOREAN NET

The country's life expectancy in 2026 of 83.7 years is among the highest in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (iClickArt) Unauthorized reproduction and redistribution of this image is prohibited under copyright law.

By Lee Jihae

The country's life expectancy of 83.7 years is one of the highest among member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The Ministry of Health and Welfare on July 23 said this in releasing its analysis of key indicators from the report OECD Health Statistics 2026.

Korea's life expectancy in 2024 was 83.7 years, up from 83.5 the previous year and higher than the OECD's 81.2.

The avoidable mortality rate, which indicates the effectiveness of prevention and timely medical treatment, also continued its decline to 139 deaths per 100,000 people, far lower than the OECD's 208.8.

Medical infrastructure was among the best in the OECD with 39.3 MRI and 46.7 CT machines per million people, much higher than the OECD averages of 21.5 and 31.5, respectively. Korea also had 12.5 hospital beds per 1,000 people, nearly three times the OECD's 4.2.

Health risk indicators showed favorable levels. The smoking rate among people aged 15 or older was 13.2%, similar to the OECD average of 12.7%, and annual alcohol consumption per capita of 7.6 liters was below the OECD's 8.3.

The percentage of overweight and obese people, a major risk factor for chronic diseases, was 37.3%, second lowest in the OECD and far lower than the latter's 58.7%.

jihlee08@korea.kr