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After 10 years, childbirth is no longer Korea's leading cause of hospitalization

Published: 08 Jun. 2025, 16:52

Newborn babies are pictured at a hospital in Incheon on Feb. 26. [YONHAP]

Cataracts have become the leading cause of hospitalization in Korea, overtaking childbirth — a shift driven by low birthrates and a rapidly aging population.

According to annual health insurance data released by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service on Sunday, the most common reason for hospitalization covered by national health insurance last year was age-related cataracts. A total of 337,270 patients were hospitalized for cataract surgery or treatment, a 5.4 percent increase from 320,061 the previous year.

Cataracts are an ophthalmologic condition in which clouding of the eye’s natural lens due to aging or damage causes blurry vision, as if looking through fog.

Cataracts were followed by pneumonia caused by unspecified organisms, with 308,287 patients; unspecified gastroenteritis and colitis of infectious origin, with 244,125 patients; and thoracic, thoracolumbar and lumbosacral intervertebral disc disorders, with 220,212 patients.

A decade earlier in 2014, the most common cause of hospitalization was “liveborn infants according to place of birth and type of delivery,” a category under which newborn babies are classified, with 373,597 patients. That figure dropped to 207,398 last year, putting it in fifth place. Cataracts, which ranked third in 2014 with 251,008 cases, have steadily climbed the list.

Members of a cataract insurance victims group hold a rally in front of the Financial Supervisory Service in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Dec. 20,2024, calling for all cataract-related complaints to be referred to the dispute mediation committee [NEWS1]

The shift reflects a dramatic demographic change: Korea’s annual number of births fell from approximately 430,000 in 2014 to around 240,000 in 2023, while the population of older adults has grown rapidly.

Meanwhile, Alzheimer’s disease accounted for the highest health insurance spending among inpatient conditions last year, with 1.87 trillion won ($1.38 billion) in medical costs. It was followed by cerebral infarction, pneumonia caused by unspecified organisms and gonarthrosis, or degenerative knee joint disease.

Among outpatients, gingivitis and periodontal disease were the top reasons for doctor visits last year, with 19.59 million patients — the highest for the second consecutive year. Periodontal disease also topped the list for total outpatient medical expenses. It was followed by acute bronchitis, with 17.6 million cases; vasomotor and allergic rhinitis, with 7.4 million; and high blood pressure, with 7.33 million.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]