Road deaths over the long term in South Korea
South Korea: Road deaths over the long term was 2,735 in 2022. ▼ Falling
Road deaths over the long term in South Korea, 1970–2022
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 2,735 for road deaths over the long term in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 53 years on record.
That represents a change of down 6.2% on the previous year and down 49.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, road deaths over the long term in South Korea peaked at 13,429 in 1991 and was at its lowest, 2,735, in 2022.
That places South Korea 16th out of 65 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 53 years of available data.
Road deaths over the long term in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 3,069 | — |
| 1971 | 3,420 | +11.4% |
| 1972 | 3,077 | -10.0% |
| 1973 | 3,049 | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 3,115 | +2.2% |
| 1975 | 3,800 | +22.0% |
| 1976 | 3,860 | +1.6% |
| 1977 | 4,097 | +6.1% |
| 1978 | 5,114 | +24.8% |
| 1979 | 6,006 | +17.4% |
| 1980 | 5,608 | -6.6% |
| 1981 | 5,804 | +3.5% |
| 1982 | 6,110 | +5.3% |
| 1983 | 6,834 | +11.8% |
| 1984 | 7,468 | +9.3% |
| 1985 | 7,522 | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 7,702 | +2.4% |
| 1987 | 7,206 | -6.4% |
| 1988 | 11,563 | +60.5% |
| 1989 | 12,603 | +9.0% |
| 1990 | 12,325 | -2.2% |
| 1991 | 13,429 | +9.0% |
| 1992 | 11,640 | -13.3% |
| 1993 | 10,402 | -10.6% |
| 1994 | 10,087 | -3.0% |
| 1995 | 10,323 | +2.3% |
| 1996 | 12,653 | +22.6% |
| 1997 | 11,603 | -8.3% |
| 1998 | 9,057 | -21.9% |
| 1999 | 9,353 | +3.3% |
| 2000 | 10,236 | +9.4% |
| 2001 | 8,097 | -20.9% |
| 2002 | 7,222 | -10.8% |
| 2003 | 7,212 | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 6,563 | -9.0% |
| 2005 | 6,376 | -2.8% |
| 2006 | 6,327 | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 6,166 | -2.5% |
| 2008 | 5,870 | -4.8% |
| 2009 | 5,838 | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 5,505 | -5.7% |
| 2011 | 5,229 | -5.0% |
| 2012 | 5,392 | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 5,092 | -5.6% |
| 2014 | 4,762 | -6.5% |
| 2015 | 4,621 | -3.0% |
| 2016 | 4,292 | -7.1% |
| 2017 | 4,185 | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 3,781 | -9.7% |
| 2019 | 3,349 | -11.4% |
| 2020 | 3,081 | -8.0% |
| 2021 | 2,916 | -5.4% |
| 2022 | 2,735 | -6.2% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 2,735 is above the median for high income countries, which is 528, 5.2× the median. (41 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 2,735 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2,735, 1.0× the median. (11 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Road deaths over the long term in South Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | +60.5% | 7,206 | 11,563 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3,861 | 3,049 | 6,006 | 10 |
| 1980s | 7,842 | 5,608 | 12,603 | 10 |
| 1990s | 11,087 | 9,057 | 13,429 | 10 |
| 2000s | 6,991 | 5,838 | 10,236 | 10 |
| 2010s | 4,621 | 3,349 | 5,505 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,911 | 2,735 | 3,081 | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More health data for South Korea
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.43 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.1935 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 69 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -2.66 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0118 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.76 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0124 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is road deaths over the long term in South Korea?
- Road deaths over the long term in South Korea was 2,735 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest road deaths over the long term recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 13,429 in 1991.
- What is the lowest road deaths over the long term recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,735 in 2022.
- How does South Korea rank for road deaths over the long term?
- South Korea ranks 16th out of 65 countries with data for 2022.
- Is road deaths over the long term rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 49.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Road deaths over the long term. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 53 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).