Death rate from cancer in South Korea

South Korea: Death rate from cancer was 181.49 in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
181.49
Change on year
up 1.3%
World rank
56th
of 194 countries
All-time high
181.49
in 2021
All-time low
139.21
in 2001
Years of data
22
2000–2021

Death rate from cancer in South Korea, 2000–2021

0501001502002000201020212000: 139.82001: 139.22002: 143.92003: 146.82004: 1502005: 152.92006: 153.22007: 155.52008: 157.72009: 158.82010: 163.12011: 160.72012: 163.32013: 165.12014: 165.82015: 164.72016: 166.92017: 1682018: 169.72019: 173.92020: 179.12021: 181.5

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2021, death rate from cancer in South Korea stood at 181.49. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.3% on the previous year and up 13.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, death rate from cancer in South Korea peaked at 181.49 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 139.21, in 2001.

That places South Korea 56th out of 194 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.

Death rate from cancer in South Korea, year by year

Annual values for Death rate from cancer in South Korea, 2000 to 2021.
Year Value Change
2000 139.8 —
2001 139.21 -0.4%
2002 143.93 +3.4%
2003 146.81 +2.0%
2004 149.99 +2.2%
2005 152.88 +1.9%
2006 153.23 +0.2%
2007 155.54 +1.5%
2008 157.73 +1.4%
2009 158.78 +0.7%
2010 163.09 +2.7%
2011 160.67 -1.5%
2012 163.31 +1.6%
2013 165.08 +1.1%
2014 165.79 +0.4%
2015 164.65 -0.7%
2016 166.91 +1.4%
2017 167.99 +0.6%
2018 169.71 +1.0%
2019 173.91 +2.5%
2020 179.1 +3.0%
2021 181.49 +1.3%

South Korea compared with similar countries

  • South Korea's 181.49 is below the median for high income countries, which is 211.71, 86% of the median. (63 countries reporting)
  • South Korea's 181.49 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 98.23, 1.8× the median. (30 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 149.79 139.21 158.78 10
2010s 166.11 160.67 173.91 10
2020s 180.3 179.1 181.49 2

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 53 Niue 184.82 compare
  2. 54 United States 183.13 compare
  3. 55 Thailand 182.81 compare
  4. 57 Iceland 177.62 compare
  5. 58 North Korea 176.77 compare
  6. 59 Luxembourg 169.25 compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More health data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is death rate from cancer in South Korea?
Death rate from cancer in South Korea was 181.49 in 2021, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest death rate from cancer recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 181.49 in 2021.
What is the lowest death rate from cancer recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 139.21 in 2001.
How does South Korea rank for death rate from cancer?
South Korea ranks 56th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
Is death rate from cancer rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 13.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Korea data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Death rate from cancer. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Death rate from cancer in South Korea. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 10 November 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/death-rate-from-cancer/korea-rep/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/stat/death-rate-from-cancer/korea-rep/">Death rate from cancer in South Korea</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Death rate from cancer
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 4,268 data points, 2000–2021
Last refreshed