Average age of S. Korea’s specialist doctors surpasses 50

As South Korea’s population continues to age, the average age of the nation's specialist doctors has risen above 50, marking an increase of 3.6 years over the past decade. The rapid aging in key medical fields, particularly in essential medicine, is raising alarms about the need to expand the pool of doctors in the country.

Data obtained by Rep. Seo Young-seok of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee, from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, showed that as of July 2024, the average age of South Korea’s 148,250 specialist doctors was 50.1 years. This is a significant jump from the average age of 46.5 years among 120,927 specialist doctors in 2014. During this same period, the percentage of specialists in their 40s dropped by 5.4 percentage points, from 39.5% to 34.1%.

A breakdown by medical specialty reveals that doctors in the tuberculosis division have the highest average age, at 63.4 years, followed by those in gynecology (54.4 years), preventive medicine (53.6 years), urology (53.5 years), cardiovascular and heart surgery (53.2 years), and general surgery (53.1 years). Most essential medical departments are experiencing an aging workforce, with urology seeing the largest increase in average age over the past 10 years, rising by 6.5 years. Cardiovascular and heart surgery followed with a 5.6-year increase, tuberculosis with 5.3 years, and gynecology with 4.9 years.

The rise in the average age of doctors in essential medicine is largely due to the limited influx of new doctors into these fields. The situation is particularly dire in cardiovascular and heart surgery, where none of the 133 available trainee positions scheduled for recruitment in July 2024 were filled. Gynecology, which planned to recruit 367 trainees, received only three applicants, reflecting the impact of South Korea’s declining birth rate. Pediatrics and adolescent medicine fared no better, with only two applicants for 553 available positions.

Many senior doctors in these critical fields are worried about a shortage of specialists after they retire. The limited number of new trainees entering these specialties, combined with a recent exodus of doctors in protest of the government’s plan to increase medical school admissions quotas, has exacerbated concerns. For example, the cardiovascular and heart surgery department nationwide currently has only 12 specialists in training.

“The demographic changes we are witnessing are also reshaping the medical profession,” Rep. Seo said. “The government must urgently implement measures to ensure a stable supply of doctors in essential medicine, so that vital medical services remain accessible to the public.”


김소영 기자 ksy@donga.com