Lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer deaths in South Korea, occurs more frequently in rural areas than in cities and among low-income groups than high-income groups, according to a new report. The five-year survival rate stood at 36.9% for recipients of medical aid benefits, compared with 71% for the highest-income salaried workers.
The age-standardized lung cancer incidence rate last year was 61.7 per 100,000 people in large cities, 62.1 in small and mid-sized cities and 65.6 in rural areas, according to the 2026 Lung Cancer White Paper jointly published on the 15th by the National Health Insurance Service and the Korean Association for Lung Cancer.
By income level, recipients of medical aid benefits had the highest standardized incidence rate at 81.1 per 100,000. The rate was lowest among higher-income regional subscribers at 57.5 per 100,000 and top-income regional subscribers at 58.7.
The number of lung cancer patients has risen steadily among both men and women, with 21,488 new male patients and 11,438 new female patients recorded last year. Measured as a standardized incidence rate per 100,000 people, however, the figure has trended down, from 67.3 in 2008 to 64.4 in 2020 and 62.1 last year. Patients aged 60 to 79 accounted for 67.1% of all lung cancer cases, making those in their 60s and 70s the most affected groups.
Treatment and survival rates have steadily improved. The share of patients receiving surgical treatment within a year of diagnosis rose from 22.7% in 2008 to 39.2% last year. The one-year survival rate climbed from 48.8% in 2008 to 70.3% in 2024, while the five-year survival rate rose from 18.7% in 2008 to 38.4% in 2020.
The survival gap tied to economic status remained wide. The five-year survival rate was 36.9% for recipients of medical aid benefits, against 71% for the highest-income salaried workers — a gap of 34.1 percentage points.
The insurance service and the lung cancer association published the white paper for the second consecutive year, drawing on large-scale health insurance data to analyze the incidence, treatment and survival rates of lung cancer patients in South Korea. "Based on these findings, we plan to raise awareness of the importance of lung cancer prevention and early screening, while continuing data-driven policy support to narrow health gaps and ensure that all citizens can receive the treatment and health care they need," the two organizations said.
Separately, cancer was the leading cause of death last year, according to the 2025 Causes of Death Statistics released recently by Statistics Korea. The cancer death rate was 177.1 per 100,000 people, up 2.8, or 1.6%, from a year earlier. By type, the highest rates were lung cancer at 38.9, liver cancer at 20.4, colorectal cancer at 19.1, pancreatic cancer at 17.0, stomach cancer at 13.7, breast cancer at 6.0 and prostate cancer at 5.7.
