Healthcare facilities in South Korea - statistics & facts

Over the past two decades, South Korea has seen a more than 60 percent increase in healthcare facility providers nationwide. While the country has also been increasing its doctor-to-population ratio, it has been nowhere near as fast. Having only increased by 1.2 doctors per 1,000 inhabitants since 2000, it is still well below the OECD average. This is because medical schools may only admit up to 3,058 total students per year, a quota that has not changed since 2006. However, new legislation is being discussed to increase this number by up to 3,000 additional admissions annually.

Rural-urban divide

With less than 10 percent of the national population living in rural areas, the concentration of hospitals is naturally denser in urban locations. Medical care, ranging from facilities to personnel and even medical schools, is concentrated in and around the capital area of Seoul and the province of Gyeonggi. In a 2021 survey, 63 percent of doctors reported that they had studied in Seoul, while about 39 percent of doctors had also grown up there. With ever-increasing urbanization and overcrowding of the Seoul Metropolitan Area, the government shifted the administrative capital to a new planned city, Sejong, in 2012.

Medical expenditure and insurance

In 2022, total medical expenditure exceeded 100 trillion South Korean won for the first time, with around 65 percent coming from Korea’s universal healthcare system, the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS). While coverage is universal, with contributions being paid via a payroll tax split between employers and employees, it is also limited. This means that most Korean households pay for additional private health insurance. Expenditure and premiums both increased as healthcare costs continue to rise.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Dec 20, 2023

Key insights

Healthcare facilities in Seoul
24.1k
Hospital bed density
12.8 beds per 1k inhabitants
Highest customer satisfaction
Severance Hospital
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Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Annual expenditure on health per capita in South Korea from 2012 to 2022 (in 1,000 U.S. dollars)

Health System

Spending on health per capita South Korea 2012-2022

Number of healthcare providers in South Korea from 2000 to 2022 (in 1,000s)

Health Professionals & Hospitals

Number of healthcare providers South Korea 2000-2022

South Korea's national health expenditure as a percent of GDP from 2000 to 2022

Pharmaceuticals

Health spending as percent of GDP in South Korea 2000-2022

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