More middle than high school students in Korea experience feelings of depression: data

What happened: Data from the Korean Educational Development Institute show the share of middle school students reporting feelings of depression exceeded that of high school students for the third consecutive year in 2025. Key numbers: 26.2 percent of middle school students reported feelings of depression last year, versus 25.1 Why it matters: The data indicate middle school students have reported higher rates of depression than high school students across three consecutive years, and middle school students accounted for a notable share of student suicides in the latest period reported.

Data from the Korean Educational Development Institute show the share of middle school students reporting feelings of depression exceeded that of high school students for the third consecutive year in 2025.

The data indicate middle school students have reported higher rates of depression than high school students across three consecutive years, and middle school students accounted for a notable share of student suicides in the latest period reported.