Half of Solitary Deaths Involve Men in Their 50s and 60s... Many Discovered by Landlords or Security Guards

As the number of single-person households grows and the population continues to age, more than 3,900 people died from solitary death last year. Among them, more than half of the men were in their 50s and 60s.

According to the '2024 Survey on Solitary Deaths' released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare on the 27th, there were 3,924 solitary deaths last year, a 7.2% (263 cases) increase from the previous year (3,661 cases).
This survey analyzed 57,145 criminal justice records from the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) last year, selecting cases that met the criteria for solitary death and examining their characteristics.
A solitary death refers to a person who dies by suicide or illness while living in social isolation, cut off from family, relatives, and others.
The number of solitary deaths per 100,000 people increased from 7.2 to 7.7 during the same period. Solitary deaths per 100 total deaths also rose from 1.04 to 1.09.
By gender, men accounted for 3,205 cases (81.7%), about five times more than women (605 cases, 15.4%). There were 114 cases (2.9%) where gender was unknown, such as when there was no resident registration number.
By age group, the breakdown was: 1,271 people in their 60s (32.4%), 1,197 in their 50s (30.5%), 509 in their 40s (13.0%), and 497 in their 70s (12.7%).
A comprehensive analysis of gender and age shows that middle-aged men are most vulnerable to solitary death. Men in their 60s accounted for 1,089 cases (27.8%), the highest, followed by men in their 50s (1,028 cases, 26.2%).

Kyungmi Woo, Director of Community Welfare at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, explained, "The continuous increase in single-person households vulnerable to solitary death appears to be contributing to the rising number of solitary deaths. Solitary deaths are more frequent in areas with larger populations."
She added, "Experts point to the rise in single-person households, aging, weakening local communities, reduced face-to-face interactions, and the spread of delivery and platform work as factors increasing the risk of solitary death."
Most solitary deaths occurred in houses (1,920 cases, 48.9%), followed by apartments (774 cases, 19.7%), and studio apartments or officetels (769 cases, 19.6%).
The first people to discover (and report) solitary deaths were most often landlords or security guards (1,692 cases, 43.1%), followed by family members (1,044 cases, 26.6%), neighbors (470 cases, 12.0%), health and welfare service workers (301 cases, 7.7%), and acquaintances (280 cases, 7.1%).
Over the past five years, the proportion of solitary deaths discovered by health and welfare service workers increased from 1.7% to 7.7%, while discoveries by family or acquaintances have been declining.
Among those who died from solitary death, 1,462 people (39.1%) had a record of being a basic livelihood security recipient within the year before their death, maintaining a level of about 40% over the past five years.
With the number of solitary deaths on the rise, the Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to conduct a 'Survey on Social Isolation' in 2026 and expand the scope of solitary death prevention and management programs to include those at risk of social isolation.
Additionally, the ministry will diversify program types to provide specialized services for youth, middle-aged, and elderly groups. Starting in 2026, it will also operate the 'Lonely Death Crisis Response System' to proactively identify and support those at risk of solitary death and social isolation.
Bak Jaeman, Director of Welfare Administration Support at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, emphasized, "From next year, we will strive to identify those at risk of social isolation early and provide tailored support based on key characteristics at each stage of life."
newssu@fnnews.com Kim Su-yeon Reporter