By Yoon Ja-young
Staff Reporter

Six-hundred and seventy-two people died daily on average here last year. People living in Seoul and Jeju Island had a higher likelihood of living longer.

The National Statistical Office (NSO) said Tuesday that the number of people who died in 2008 totaled 246,000, up 2,900 from a decade ago. That equates to one death every two minutes and 14 seconds. The statistical office attributed the increase to the aging society ― the ratio of people aged 65 or older is rapidly growing in Korea, one of the fastest rates in the world.

The number of senior citizens aged 65 or older who died last year totaled 170,100, or 69.1 percent of the total, and has grown by 28,200 from a decade ago.

The ratio of the productive population, between 15 and 64 years of age, accounted for 29.7 percent of deaths, down 10 percentage points from a decade ago.

Mortality among infants also decreased, reflecting improving medical services in the country. The number of infants one year old or younger who died last year stood at 1,570, decreasing by 140.

Koreans were increasingy covered by medical services. The ratio of people who died in hospitals recorded 63.7 percent. In 1998, only 28.5 percent of deaths occurred in hospitals, with 60.5 percent occurring at home.

The number of deaths per 1,000 people was 3.7 in Seoul last year, followed by Jeju's 4. Busan, South Gyeongsang Province and Gangwon Province, meanwhile, had higher death rates per 1,000 people, standing at 4.9.

``Residents of Seoul have, on average, higher incomes and standards of living than people from other regions. Hospitals also tend to be closer by,'' the statistical office explained. It picked poor living conditions and the higher frequency of fatal car accidents as the reasons for the higher death rates.

chizpizza@koreatimes.co.kr