North Korea vs Switzerland: Share of adults who are obese
North Korea
12.1%
in 2024
Switzerland
12.9%
in 2024
North Korea rank
154th
Switzerland rank
151st
Share of adults who are obese over time
- North Korea
- Switzerland
How they compare
Switzerland currently reports 12.9% against 12.1% in North Korea, a difference of 0.8%.
That makes Switzerland's figure about 1.1 times North Korea's.
Across all 45 years both countries report, Switzerland has been ahead every year.
North Korea ranks 154th and Switzerland ranks 151st of 199 countries.
Switzerland has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | North Korea | Switzerland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.6% | 8.5% | 6.9% | Switzerland |
| 1990s | 2.6% | 8.8% | 6.2% | Switzerland |
| 2000s | 4.6% | 10.4% | 5.8% | Switzerland |
| 2010s | 7.8% | 11.6% | 3.9% | Switzerland |
| 2020s | 11.0% | 12.5% | 1.5% | Switzerland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of adults who are obese, North Korea or Switzerland?
- Switzerland, at 12.9% against 12.1% in North Korea as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of adults who are obese between North Korea and Switzerland?
- 0.8%, with Switzerland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for North Korea and Switzerland?
- 45 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2024.
- How do North Korea and Switzerland rank globally for share of adults who are obese?
- North Korea ranks 154th and Switzerland ranks 151st of 199 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) β with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of adults who are obese. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Obesity is defined here as a body mass index (BMI) above 30. BMI is a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters.