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Video Description

Type: KIHASA Policy Featurette

Topic: Where Does Our Country Rank in OECD Health Statistics?

Guest Speaker: Shin Jeong-woo, Director, Department of Social Security Finance and Data Research, KIHASA

Transcript

The following question was asked by Epikai:

Epikai asked, “In the OECD statistics, Korea ranks alongside advanced countries in some indicators, but remains at the bottom in others every year. Could you explain in which indicators our country ranks high and where it lags behind in OECD health statistics?”

First of all, there are two main indicators on which Korea performs well: life expectancy and avoidable mortality. You may be familiar with life expectancy, a measure of how long people are expected to live. Recent trends show that Korea has consistently ranked second or third among OECD countries.

Avoidable mortality rates, on the other hand, may be less familiar to you. In simple terms, this indicator shows how effectively deaths are prevented through timely healthcare services or excellent health management. Our performance here is considered very strong.

However, there are indicators where Korea consistently fares among the worst: suicide rates and perceived health status. In terms of suicide rates, Korea continues to rank among the highest in the OECD, almost always. In addition, the proportion of Koreans who consider themselves in good health ranks second or third from the bottom. It is indeed ironic that, despite our high life expectancy, relatively few people feel positive about their own health.