South Korea topped the list of colorectal cancer rate among 184 countries in a survey by the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization.

Among every 100,000 South Koreans, 45 suffered from colorectal cancer, followed by Slovakia’s 42.7, Hungary’s 42.3 and Denmark’s 40.5.

The world average was 17.2 per 100,000 population, while the average among the Asian countries was 13.7.

Korean men were more exposed to the disease with 58.7 out of 100,000 men suffering from the illness.

Experts said the outbreak surged among the middle aged during the past three years, with the attack rate anticipated to double by 2030.

They said irregular meals, heavy drinking and smoking, along with increased intake of meat, excessive stress and lack of exercise appear to have attributed to the rise.