Medical Costs for 35 Major Surgeries Exceed 10 Trillion Won... Cataract Surgery Ranks First Again

NHIS Publishes "2025 Major Surgery Statistics Yearbook"
Endoscopic Spinal Surgeries Up 57% Year-on-Year, Cesarean Sections Rise by 10%
Cardiac Surgery Costs 48 Million Won Per Case, Coronary Artery Bypass Costs 43 Million Won

Last year in Korea, the total number of 35 major surgeries performed exceeded 2.15 million, with medical expenses for these key surgeries surpassing 10 trillion won. The most frequently performed procedure was cataract surgery, and the number of cesarean sections also increased by more than 10% compared to the previous year.

The National Health Insurance Service announced on the 31st that it has published the "2025 Major Surgery Statistical Yearbook," detailing statistics on 35 major surgeries covered by health insurance and medical benefits.

According to the yearbook, the total number of the top 35 major surgeries performed last year in 2025 was 2,151,941 cases, an increase of 4.8% from the previous year (2,054,344 cases). The total number of surgeries, which had declined to 2,045,674 cases in 2023, has now increased for two consecutive years, returning to a level similar to that of 2021 (2,151,936 cases).

Cataract surgery, which ranked first in the number of procedures every year, was performed 692,126 times last year—an increase of 4.2% from 2024 (665,820 cases). It was followed by general spinal surgery with 199,147 cases, cesarean section with 177,232 cases, hemorrhoid surgery with 151,864 cases, and cholecystectomy with 103,817 cases. As the number of newborns increased, both the number and cost of cesarean section procedures grew by 10.2% and 14.0% (656.3 billion won), respectively, compared to the previous year.

In particular, there was a notable surge in endoscopic spinal surgeries, with 31,729 cases performed in 2025—a remarkable 57.4% increase from the previous year (20,154 cases!). The average annual growth rate over the past five years for this procedure reached 26.5%. Percutaneous coronary intervention (excluding stent insertions) also saw a rise to 21,730 cases, up 16.6% from the previous year.

The number of major surgeries per 100,000 people was 4,059 cases, a 4.7% increase from the previous year. Cataract surgery accounted for the highest proportion with 1,305 cases, followed by cesarean section with 668 cases and general spinal surgery with 376 cases.

By age group, the proportion of surgeries among older adults was particularly significant. Of the total 1,783,270 patients who underwent the 35 major surgeries, those in their 60s made up the largest group, with 414,141 individuals, followed by those in their 70s with 408,932, and those in their 50s with 236,946. The most frequent surgeries by age were tonsillectomy for children under 9, appendectomy for teens, cesarean section for people in their 20s and 30s, hemorrhoid surgery for those in their 40s, and cataract surgery for those 50 and older.

The rise in surgery-related medical expenses was even steeper. In 2025, the total medical expenses for the 35 major surgeries amounted to 10.6738 trillion won, a 14.7% increase from the previous year. The average annual increase rate over the past five years was 6.0%. By surgery, general spinal surgery accounted for the highest expenditure at 1.0161 trillion won, followed by percutaneous coronary intervention (stent insertion) at 1.0033 trillion won, cataract surgery at 907.4 billion won, and knee replacement surgery at 899.6 billion won.

The average medical cost per surgery was 4.96 million won, up 9.5% from the previous year. Cardiac surgery recorded the highest cost per procedure at 48.08 million won, followed by coronary artery bypass surgery at 43.29 million won, and stem cell transplantation at 27.32 million won. In contrast, hemorrhoid surgery (1.21 million won), cataract surgery (1.31 million won), and varicose vein surgery (1.42 million won) had the lowest per-procedure costs.

The average length of hospital stay per surgery was 5.6 days, which is a 0.7% reduction from the previous year. Knee replacement surgery required the longest hospital stay at 20.1 days, followed by stem cell transplantation at 19.8 days, and hip replacement surgery at 18.6 days. Cataract surgery had a short hospital stay of 1.1 days, varicose vein surgery 1.9 days, and hemorrhoid surgery 2.2 days.

By type of medical institution, clinics performed the largest number of surgeries at 755,455 cases (35.1%), followed by general hospitals at 551,466 cases (25.6%), hospitals at 438,061 cases (20.4%), and tertiary hospitals at 406,780 cases (18.9%). Over the past five years, the average annual number of surgeries in general hospitals rose by 4.4%, whereas clinics and tertiary hospitals saw decreases of 2.2% and 2.5%, respectively.

Furthermore, 75.5% of cataract surgeries were performed in clinics, while the highest proportion of general spinal surgeries (58.7%) took place in hospitals. For cholecystectomy, general hospitals accounted for 69.2%, and for endoscopic and percutaneous biliary procedures, tertiary hospitals and general hospitals accounted for 48.4% and 51.4%, respectively.

The National Health Insurance Service announced that starting this year, the publication date of the statistical yearbook has been moved up from November to August to deliver the latest statistical information more promptly. The yearbook can be viewed on the National Health Insurance Service’s website and will also be registered on the Ministry of Data and Statistics' national statistics portal.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.