China vs Korea, Democratic People's Republic of: Share of adults who are overweight or obese
China
39.2%
in 2024
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
39.1%
in 2024
China rank
148th
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of rank
149th
Share of adults who are overweight or obese over time
- China
- Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
How they compare
China currently reports 39.2% against 39.1% in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 45 shared years of data; in 1980 it was Korea, Democratic People's Republic of ahead.
China ranks 148th and Korea, Democratic People's Republic of ranks 149th of 199 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Korea, Democratic People's Republic of | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10.2% | 10.0% | 0.2% | China |
| 1990s | 16.2% | 14.7% | 1.5% | China |
| 2000s | 22.6% | 21.0% | 1.6% | China |
| 2010s | 30.5% | 29.5% | 1.0% | China |
| 2020s | 37.3% | 37.0% | 0.3% | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of adults who are overweight or obese, China or Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- China, at 39.2% against 39.1% in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of adults who are overweight or obese between China and Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- 0.1%, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- 45 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2024.
- How do China and Korea, Democratic People's Republic of rank globally for share of adults who are overweight or obese?
- China ranks 148th and Korea, Democratic People's Republic of ranks 149th of 199 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of adults who are overweight or obese. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Overweight is defined here as a body mass index (BMI) above 25. BMI is a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters.