More than 3,600 people died alone in their homes in Korea last year, data showed Thursday, with middle-aged and elderly men accounting for more than half of such deaths.

The number of “lonely deaths” came to 3,661 in 2023, up from 3,559 the previous year, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

The figure indicates that 1.04 out of every 100 deaths in Korea were attributed to solitary deaths last year.