Amid shrinking interest in pediatrics among young doctors, government figures on Monday showed that far more pediatric clinics closed than opened last year.
Eighty-nine pediatric clinics shut down nationwide in 2025, according to data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. Only 59 opened, leaving the field with the steepest net decline of any medical specialty.
Pediatrics was the only discipline to post a net loss in the number of clinics. Clinics specializing in anesthesiology and in obstetrics and gynecology saw the smallest gains in 2025, adding 18 and 21, respectively.
Studies indicate that fewer physicians are opting to specialize in pediatrics. The number of residents and interns in pediatrics went from 816 in 2018 to 395 in 2022, according to a 2024 report by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs.
Some 86.7 percent of medical school students said they will not specialize in pediatrics in a 2024 survey by researchers at Jeonbuk National University.
Most respondents cited concerns over a declining young population and interactions with patients' guardians.
Overall, 1,840 new clinics opened, while 1,011 closed last year.
In terms of all medical institutes -- including hospitals, dental institutes, oriental medical institutes, pharmacies and health centers -- 5,353 opened while 3,885 closed. But the data showed most of the new medical institutes were in the greater Seoul area.
A total of 1,613 institutes opened in Seoul, 1,374 in Gyeonggi Province, and 299 in Incheon, which account for some 61 percent of all newly opened institutes.
In North Jeolla Province, 124 institutes closed while 123 opened, making it the only region to mark a net loss.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
