South Korea recorded the highest suicide rate and fine dust concentration among Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD) member nations, despite seeing a decrease in related figures.
 
Data released by Statistics Korea on Thursday showed that the number of suicides per 100-thousand South Koreans came to 25-point-two in 2022, down from 26 a year earlier.
 
The figure has been on a downward trend since reaching a peak of 28-point-five in 2013, but Korea’s number still remains the highest among major advanced nations.
 
Data on ultrafine dust also showed that the country's average ultrafine dust density stood at 25-point-nine micrograms per cubic meter in 2020, also the highest among OECD member countries.
 

The figure is still down from its 2015 figure of 26-point-one micrograms per cubic meter, which the environment ministry attributes to a decrease in vehicle use and business operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.