Average HDL cholesterol levels in South Korea

South Korea: Average HDL cholesterol levels was 1.4 in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
1.4
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
16th
of 191 countries
All-time high
1.4
in 2014
All-time low
1.2
in 1980
Years of data
39
1980–2018

Average HDL cholesterol levels in South Korea, 1980–2018

00.511.51980199920181980: 1.21981: 1.21982: 1.21983: 1.21984: 1.21985: 1.21986: 1.21987: 1.21988: 1.21989: 1.21990: 1.21991: 1.21992: 1.21993: 1.21994: 1.21995: 1.21996: 1.21997: 1.21998: 1.21999: 1.22000: 1.22001: 1.22002: 1.22003: 1.22004: 1.32005: 1.32006: 1.32007: 1.32008: 1.32009: 1.32010: 1.32011: 1.32012: 1.32013: 1.32014: 1.42015: 1.42016: 1.42017: 1.42018: 1.4

Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2018, average hdl cholesterol levels in South Korea stood at 1.4. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, average hdl cholesterol levels in South Korea peaked at 1.4 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 1.2, in 1980.

That places South Korea 16th out of 191 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 1.2 1.2 1.2 10
1990s 1.2 1.2 1.2 10
2000s 1.26 1.2 1.3 10
2010s 1.36 1.3 1.4 9

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 16 Albania 1.4 compare
  2. 16 Andorra 1.4 compare
  3. 16 Belarus 1.4 compare
  4. 16 Bulgaria 1.4 compare
  5. 16 Canada 1.4 compare
  6. 16 Croatia 1.4 compare
  7. 16 Cyprus 1.4 compare
  8. 16 Denmark 1.4 compare
  9. 16 Estonia 1.4 compare
  10. 16 Greece 1.4 compare
  11. 16 Hungary 1.4 compare
  12. 16 Italy 1.4 compare
  13. 16 Lithuania 1.4 compare
  14. 16 Mongolia 1.4 compare
  15. 16 Montenegro 1.4 compare
  16. 16 Netherlands 1.4 compare
  17. 16 New Zealand 1.4 compare
  18. 16 North Macedonia 1.4 compare
  19. 16 Norway 1.4 compare
  20. 16 Poland 1.4 compare
  21. 16 Portugal 1.4 compare
  22. 16 Romania 1.4 compare
  23. 16 Russia 1.4 compare
  24. 16 Serbia 1.4 compare
  25. 16 Singapore 1.4 compare
  26. 16 Slovakia 1.4 compare
  27. 16 Slovenia 1.4 compare
  28. 16 Spain 1.4 compare
  29. 16 Ukraine 1.4 compare
  30. 16 United States 1.4 compare

See the full ranking of 191 places →

More reference data data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is average hdl cholesterol levels in South Korea?
Average hdl cholesterol levels in South Korea was 1.4 in 2018, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest average hdl cholesterol levels recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 1.4 in 2014.
What is the lowest average hdl cholesterol levels recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 1.2 in 1980.
How does South Korea rank for average hdl cholesterol levels?
South Korea ranks 16th out of 191 countries with data for 2018.
Is average hdl cholesterol levels rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Korea data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Average HDL cholesterol levels. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 39 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Average HDL cholesterol levels
Source
World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
191 places, 7,449 data points, 1980–2018
Last refreshed

The estimated average level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, commonly known as "good cholesterol". Healthy levels are considered to be 1mmol/L or above for men or 1.2mmol/L or above for women.