Tuberculosis cases in South Korea declined for the 14th consecutive year, but infections among the elderly population increased, according to government data released Thursday.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 17,070 TB cases in 2024, down 4.9% from 17,944 the previous year. The figure represents a 66.2% drop from the 2011 peak of 50,491 cases. The KDCA said cases have fallen at an average annual rate of 7.5% since 2011.
However, the concentration of cases among older patients has become a growing concern. TB cases among those under 65 fell 13.6% to 6,401 last year, while cases among those aged 65 and older rose 1.3% to 10,669. Patients aged 65 and above accounted for 62.5% of all cases. That share has climbed steadily — from 51.0% in 2021, to 55.4% in 2022, 57.9% in 2023, and 58.7% in 2024.
The gap in incidence rates was stark. The TB incidence rate for those 65 and older stood at 101.5 per 100,000 people, 6.4 times the rate of 15.8 per 100,000 for those under 65. The KDCA noted that the rise in elderly patient numbers partly reflects the growth of the senior population itself. The population aged 65 and above grew from 8.58 million in 2021 to 10.51 million in 2025. Still, the absolute increase in cases and the triple-digit incidence rate make the elderly the most vulnerable group in TB management.
The need for closer management of foreign nationals and Medicaid recipients was also reaffirmed. Foreign TB patients numbered 1,049 last year, down 2.6% year-on-year, but their share of total cases edged up to 6.1%. Notably, cases among foreign nationals in their 20s rose 15.8%, and those in their 40s surged 34.5%. The TB incidence rate among Medicaid recipients was 128.9 per 100,000, 4.5 times the rate of 28.9 per 100,000 for national health insurance subscribers.
Multidrug-resistant TB cases fell 3.5% to 445. South Korea, however, still ranks second in TB incidence and third in TB mortality among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member nations. The KDCA plans to expand mobile TB screening, integrated health checkups for foreign nationals, and the "TB Safety Belt" program — a treatment support initiative for vulnerable groups — to strengthen early detection and treatment linkages for the elderly, foreign nationals, and low-income populations. KDCA Commissioner Lim Seung-kwan urged, "We ask that seniors aged 65 and older receive regular TB screenings every year."