Ulsan had the highest proportion of people at risk for depression in Korea as of the 14th. Gwangju and North Jeolla were the lowest. To prevent depression, people should manage appropriate sleep, social relationships, and health status in combination.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency analyzed depression-related indicators from the "2025 Community Health Survey data" and released them that day. The survey covered 230,000 adults ages 19 and older nationwide. The share of people who felt depressed enough to disrupt daily life for at least two weeks in a year rose from 5.5% in 2016 to 7.3% in 2023, then edged down to 5.9% last year.
The prevalence of depressive symptoms indicating a high-risk group for depression rose from 2.7% in 2017 to 3.4% last year. This is the proportion of people who scored 10 points or higher after taking nine screening questions for depression in the Community Health Survey. It is a level at which a visit to a medical institution and counseling with a professional are recommended.
By city and province, Ulsan had the highest prevalence of depressive symptoms at 4.9%. It was followed by South Chungcheong (4.4%), Daejeon and Incheon (4.2% each), Gyeonggi (4.1%), Gangwon (4.0%), Seoul (3.8%), Sejong (3.7%), North Gyeongsang (3.6%), Jeju (3.4%), South Jeolla (3.4%), Busan, Daegu, and South Gyeongsang (3%), and Gwangju and North Jeolla (2.3%).
Looking down to cities, counties, and districts, Sangnok District in Ansan, Gyeonggi, had the highest prevalence of depressive symptoms at 7.5%. Yeongdeok County in North Gyeongsang was the lowest at 1.2%.
Women had a 1.7 times higher prevalence of depressive symptoms than men. In particular, women in their 20s to 30s and those in their 70s were higher. Men generally had a lower prevalence of depressive symptoms, but those in their 70s were somewhat higher. In addition, the unemployed, low-income groups, one-person households, and basic livelihood security recipients also had a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms.
Sleep was the factor with the greatest impact on depressive symptoms. People who sleep 6 hours or less or 9 hours or more had a 2.1 times higher likelihood of depressive symptoms than those who sleep 7 to 8 hours. Having little interaction with friends less than once a month, smoking, lacking physical activity, or drinking at a high-risk level also raised the likelihood of depressive symptoms.
Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency Commissioner Lim Seung-kwan said, "We will establish regional health policies based on these analysis results."