Ulsan, a relatively "young city" with an average population age lower than the national median, has long maintained a low crude mortality rate. However, a deeper look into age-standardized indicators reveals a startling reality: Ulsan's mortality figures exceed the national average, with its heart disease mortality rate ranking highest across South Korea.

According to the 2025 Cause of Death Statistics released by Statistics Korea, the total number of deaths in Ulsan last year stood at 6,427, marking a 1.3% increase compared to the previous year. This growth rate slightly surpassed the national increase of 1.2%.

Ulsan’s crude mortality rate—defined as the number of deaths per 100,000 population—was recorded at 588.6, an increase of 10.7 from the year before. Despite this rise, Ulsan's crude rate remains significantly lower than the national average of 712.6, making it the fourth lowest among major metropolitan cities and provinces, following Sejong (418.9), Seoul (568.1), and Gyeonggi Province (571.3). 

Hidden Vulnerabilities Behind the "Young City" Image

The narrative shifts dramatically when examining the age-standardized mortality rate, an index that neutralizes regional demographic disparities in aging to compare mortality under a uniform population structure. Ulsan’s age-standardized mortality rate hit 299.9 deaths per 100,000 standard population, surpassing the national average of 285.3.

Most notably, Ulsan recorded an age-standardized heart disease mortality rate of 31.6 per 100,000, placing it first among the 17 municipal and provincial jurisdictions nationwide. This figure is 7.2 higher than the national average of 24.4 and stands at a staggering 1.9 times the rate of Daejeon (16.9), which recorded the lowest in the country.

Furthermore, Ulsan captured the national top spot for the broader category of "total circulatory system diseases"—which encompasses heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, and hypertensive disorders—with an age-standardized rate of 63.1. Cerebrovascular disease mortality ranked second nationwide at 21.8, while hypertension-related deaths also exceeded the national baseline. 

Respiratory and Other Major Health Risks

Respiratory health in the region also flashed warning signs. The age-standardized mortality rate for chronic lower respiratory diseases—including bronchitis, asthma, and emphysema—surged to 6.2, vastly exceeding the national average of 4.0 and ranking first in the nation. This is approximately 2.4 times higher than Seoul, which recorded the lowest rate at 2.6. Conversely, pneumonia-related mortality sat at 14.6, lower than the national average of 18.6.

Meanwhile, Ulsan's mortality rate for malignant neoplasms (cancer) was 77.2, remaining comparable to the national average of 77.7. Among specific cancers, lung cancer (17.4), liver cancer (10.1), and stomach cancer (6.7) trended slightly higher than national norms, whereas colorectal cancer (6.9) stayed below the national average of 8.1. Diabetes (9.9) and Alzheimer's disease (9.9) both surpassed their respective national benchmarks of 8.7 and 7.3.

External Factors and COVID-19 Trends

Regarding external factors or "death by external causes" (such as accidents), the age-standardized suicide rate stood at 23.1, aligning closely with the national average of 23.2. Transportation accident mortality dropped to 3.3, falling below the national average of 3.9.

In parallel, COVID-19 fatalities in Ulsan dropped sharply to 14 last year down from 36 the previous year, with an age-standardized mortality rate of 0.6, remaining slightly below the national average of 0.7.

Public health experts emphasize that Ulsan's paradoxically high disease-specific mortality rates—despite its younger demographic profile—call for immediate, localized health intervention strategies focused on cardiovascular and chronic respiratory disease prevention.

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