South Korea’s suicide rate dropped steadily during the years 2013 to 2017, government data showed. 

The data, compiled by the Health Ministry and the Korea Foundation for Suicide Prevention, showed that 22.8 out of every 100,000 Koreans had taken their own lives in 2017, down from 24.4 in 2016.

The country’s suicide rate fell gradually from 27.4 out of 100,000 in 2013 to 25.9 in 2014 and 25.4 in 2015. 

The total number of suicides also declined over the five years beginning in 2013, when it stood at 13,851. The figure dropped to 13,154 in 2014, 12,955 in 2015, 12,474 in 2016 and 11,690 in 2017. (Yonhap)