CDC Korean-American Mortality Data Project

Project Overview 

Every year, CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) publishes a comprehensive public dataset detailing the underlying cause of death. In this project, we aim to expand understanding of the mortality profile within the Korean American community, as there are very few available research/reports with such focus.

Key Findings

• On average, 5200 Koreans die in the US every year. However, there was a spike in 2020 with around 8000 deaths due to Covid-19.
• Each year, Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer are the top leading causes of death for Korean Americans. Covid-19 was the 3rd leading cause of death in 2021. 
• Korean Americans are exhibiting a significant decrease in Covid-19 fatalities (notably, all Asian ethnic groups saw a decline). Non-Hispanic Whites are the only group that see an upward trend in Covid-19 death.
• Korean Americans have the highest suicide rate among all races, with mortality rate averaging around 3%. All other races show around 1-2% mortality rate. Korean Americans and Koreans showed a significant difference in suide rates. Korean Americans exhibited a suicde rate around 14 deaths per 100,000, while Koreans were at the range of 24-26, surpassing those of all OECD nations. OECD average suicide rate is 12 deaths per 100,000.

Nov 2023 – Feb 2024