About 1.72 million people in South Korea were on more than 10 medications due to chronic illness as of June, National Health Insurance Service data showed Sunday.
The number of people who have at least one chronic condition and take multiple medications for a minimum of 60 days increased by 52.5 percent from 1.12 million in 2020, according to the report compiled by Rep. Han Ji-ah of the main opposition People Power Party. The figure has risen every year since 2020, reaching 1.63 million in 2023.
Some 80.6 percent of the people taking more than 10 medications were aged 65 and above.
Chronic disease often requires multiple medicines, but regular use of five or more medications, known as polypharmacy, increases the risk of adverse drug reactions and other health-related complications.
According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 64.2 percent of Koreans aged 75 or above were taking five or more medications in 2021, compared to the OECD average of 50.1 percent. Though this figure decreased from 70.2 percent in 2019, polypharmacy cases in the country's senior population overall continue to climb.
Some 20.3 percent of the country's population is aged 65 and above, according to the latest data from Statistics Korea, making the country a "superaged society."
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
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