Healthcare Spending Under Medical Coverage Hits 137 Trillion Won in a Year... Highest in Aging South Jeolla

National Health Insurance Service Publishes the 2025 Statistical Yearbook of Regional Healthcare Utilization
Seoul Has the Most Breast Cancer Patients; Gangwon Has the Most Colorectal Cancer Patients
More Than 11 Million People Aged 65 and Older Covered by Medical Benefits... They Make Up 28% of South Jeolla's Population

South Jeolla and North Jeolla, where people aged 65 and older make up a large share of the population, had relatively high healthcare utilization compared with their populations. North Gyeongsang had the most stomach cancer patients among cities and provinces, while South Jeolla had relatively high numbers of liver and lung cancer patients, Seoul had the most breast cancer patients, and Gangwon had the most colorectal cancer patients.

According to the 2025 Statistical Yearbook of Regional Healthcare Utilization, published by the National Health Insurance Service on November 2, the total population covered by medical insurance, including health insurance subscribers and medical aid recipients, was 53,022,000 last year, up just 0.04% from 52,999,000 the year before.

By contrast, the number of people aged 65 and older among those covered by medical insurance reached 11,003,000, up 5.8% from 10.4 million the year before. Despite the stagnation in overall population growth, the population aged 65 and older increased by about 600,000 in just one year. The population under 65 fell 1.4% to 42,019,000.

The share of people aged 65 and older among those covered by medical insurance also continued to rise, reaching 20.8% of the total. By city and province, South Jeolla had the highest proportion of residents aged 65 and older at 27.7%, followed by North Gyeongsang (26.7%), Gangwon (26.4%), North Jeolla (26.0%), and Busan (24.9%).

Total healthcare expenditures covered by medical insurance last year came to 137.5098 trillion won. Average monthly healthcare expenditures per patient were 228,871 won, up 7.5% from 212,955 won the year before.

Based on patients' actual places of residence, South Jeolla had the highest average monthly healthcare expenditures per person, at 281,892 won, followed by North Jeolla (271,798 won), Busan (267,401 won), and North Gyeongsang (250,761 won). Sejong had the lowest figure, at 179,888 won. South Jeolla also recorded the highest average number of inpatient and outpatient care days per person per month, at 2.35 days, followed by North Jeolla (2.34 days) and Busan (2.29 days). Sejong had the lowest figure, at 1.67 days.

Among major cancers, breast cancer had the highest number of patients per 100,000 people, at 551, followed by colorectal cancer (326), stomach cancer (315), bronchial and lung cancer (277), liver cancer (160), and cervical cancer (98). By region, North Gyeongsang had the most stomach cancer patients relative to its population (392 per 100,000); South Jeolla had the most liver and lung cancer patients (258 and 351, respectively); Gangwon had the most colorectal cancer patients (411); Seoul had the most breast cancer patients (622); and Busan had the most cervical cancer patients (125).

Among major diseases, including chronic conditions, periodontal disease was the most common, with 45,336 patients per 100,000 people. It was followed by infectious diseases (20,937), hypertension (15,380), arthritis (14,641), mental disorders (9,097), diabetes (8,295), and liver disease (2,993). Relative to their populations, Gangwon had the most hypertension patients, South Jeolla had the most diabetes and arthritis patients, and North Jeolla had the most patients with mental disorders.

Meanwhile, health insurance premium assessments totaled 87.4953 trillion won last year, up 4.2% from the year before. Workplace-based premiums amounted to 76.9311 trillion won (87.9%), while regional premiums totaled 10.5642 trillion won (12.1%). The average premium per household (subscriber) was 132,309 won, up 3.1% from the year before.

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