Deaths in road incidents in South Korea
South Korea: Deaths in road incidents was 2,735 deaths in 2022. ▼ Falling
Deaths in road incidents in South Korea, 1970–2022
Source: OECD (2023); OECD (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 2,735 deaths for deaths in road incidents 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, deaths in road incidents in South Korea peaked at 13,429 deaths in 1991 and was at its lowest, 2,735 deaths, 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.
Deaths in road incidents in South Korea, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 3,069 deaths | — |
| 1971 | 3,420 deaths | +11.4% |
| 1972 | 3,077 deaths | -10.0% |
| 1973 | 3,049 deaths | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 3,115 deaths | +2.2% |
| 1975 | 3,800 deaths | +22.0% |
| 1976 | 3,860 deaths | +1.6% |
| 1977 | 4,097 deaths | +6.1% |
| 1978 | 5,114 deaths | +24.8% |
| 1979 | 6,006 deaths | +17.4% |
| 1980 | 5,608 deaths | -6.6% |
| 1981 | 5,804 deaths | +3.5% |
| 1982 | 6,110 deaths | +5.3% |
| 1983 | 6,834 deaths | +11.8% |
| 1984 | 7,468 deaths | +9.3% |
| 1985 | 7,522 deaths | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 7,702 deaths | +2.4% |
| 1987 | 7,206 deaths | -6.4% |
| 1988 | 11,563 deaths | +60.5% |
| 1989 | 12,603 deaths | +9.0% |
| 1990 | 12,325 deaths | -2.2% |
| 1991 | 13,429 deaths | +9.0% |
| 1992 | 11,640 deaths | -13.3% |
| 1993 | 10,402 deaths | -10.6% |
| 1994 | 10,087 deaths | -3.0% |
| 1995 | 10,323 deaths | +2.3% |
| 1996 | 12,653 deaths | +22.6% |
| 1997 | 11,603 deaths | -8.3% |
| 1998 | 9,057 deaths | -21.9% |
| 1999 | 9,353 deaths | +3.3% |
| 2000 | 10,236 deaths | +9.4% |
| 2001 | 8,097 deaths | -20.9% |
| 2002 | 7,222 deaths | -10.8% |
| 2003 | 7,212 deaths | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 6,563 deaths | -9.0% |
| 2005 | 6,376 deaths | -2.8% |
| 2006 | 6,327 deaths | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 6,166 deaths | -2.5% |
| 2008 | 5,870 deaths | -4.8% |
| 2009 | 5,838 deaths | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 5,505 deaths | -5.7% |
| 2011 | 5,229 deaths | -5.0% |
| 2012 | 5,392 deaths | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 5,092 deaths | -5.6% |
| 2014 | 4,762 deaths | -6.5% |
| 2015 | 4,621 deaths | -3.0% |
| 2016 | 4,292 deaths | -7.1% |
| 2017 | 4,185 deaths | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 3,781 deaths | -9.7% |
| 2019 | 3,349 deaths | -11.4% |
| 2020 | 3,081 deaths | -8.0% |
| 2021 | 2,916 deaths | -5.4% |
| 2022 | 2,735 deaths | -6.2% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 2,735 deaths is above the median for high income countries, which is 528 deaths, 5.2× the median. (41 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 2,735 deaths is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2,735 deaths, 1.0× the median. (11 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Deaths in road incidents 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 deaths | 11,563 deaths |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3,861 deaths | 3,049 deaths | 6,006 deaths | 10 |
| 1980s | 7,842 deaths | 5,608 deaths | 12,603 deaths | 10 |
| 1990s | 11,087 deaths | 9,057 deaths | 13,429 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 6,991 deaths | 5,838 deaths | 10,236 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 4,621 deaths | 3,349 deaths | 5,505 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,911 deaths | 2,735 deaths | 3,081 deaths | 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)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 2,072 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 69 deaths (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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is deaths in road incidents in South Korea?
- Deaths in road incidents in South Korea was 2,735 deaths in 2022, according to OECD (2023); OECD (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest deaths in road incidents recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 13,429 deaths in 1991.
- What is the lowest deaths in road incidents recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,735 deaths in 2022.
- How does South Korea rank for deaths in road incidents?
- South Korea ranks 16th out of 65 countries with data for 2022.
- Is deaths in road incidents 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 OECD (2023); OECD (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Deaths in road incidents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Number of reported deaths due to road accidents.