Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in South Korea

South Korea: Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese was 2.8% in 2014. ▼ Falling

Latest (2014)
2.8%
Change on year
down 6.7%
World rank
90th
of 198 countries
All-time high
13.2%
in 1975
All-time low
2.8%
in 2014
Years of data
40
1975–2014

Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in South Korea, 1975–2014

2.557.51012.51975199420141975: 13.2 %1976: 12.9 %1977: 12.5 %1978: 12.1 %1979: 11.7 %1980: 11.3 %1981: 10.9 %1982: 10.5 %1983: 10.1 %1984: 9.7 %1985: 9.3 %1986: 9 %1987: 8.6 %1988: 8.3 %1989: 8 %1990: 7.7 %1991: 7.4 %1992: 7.1 %1993: 6.9 %1994: 6.6 %1995: 6.3 %1996: 6 %1997: 5.8 %1998: 5.5 %1999: 5.4 %2000: 5.2 %2001: 5 %2002: 4.9 %2003: 4.8 %2004: 4.7 %2005: 4.5 %2006: 4.4 %2007: 4.2 %2008: 4 %2009: 3.8 %2010: 3.5 %2011: 3.3 %2012: 3.2 %2013: 3 %2014: 2.8 %

Source: NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (2017) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

South Korea recorded 2.8% for share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in 2014. That is the lowest value across all 40 years on record.

The figure is down 6.7% on the previous year and down 40.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in South Korea peaked at 13.2% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 2.8%, in 2014.

South Korea ranks 90th of 198 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 40 years of available data.

Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in South Korea, year by year

Annual values for Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in South Korea, 1975 to 2014.
Year % Change
1975 13.2%
1976 12.9% -2.3%
1977 12.5% -3.1%
1978 12.1% -3.2%
1979 11.7% -3.3%
1980 11.3% -3.4%
1981 10.9% -3.5%
1982 10.5% -3.7%
1983 10.1% -3.8%
1984 9.7% -4.0%
1985 9.3% -4.1%
1986 9.0% -3.2%
1987 8.6% -4.4%
1988 8.3% -3.5%
1989 8.0% -3.6%
1990 7.7% -3.7%
1991 7.4% -3.9%
1992 7.1% -4.1%
1993 6.9% -2.8%
1994 6.6% -4.3%
1995 6.3% -4.5%
1996 6.0% -4.8%
1997 5.8% -3.3%
1998 5.5% -5.2%
1999 5.4% -1.8%
2000 5.2% -3.7%
2001 5.0% -3.8%
2002 4.9% -2.0%
2003 4.8% -2.0%
2004 4.7% -2.1%
2005 4.5% -4.3%
2006 4.4% -2.2%
2007 4.2% -4.5%
2008 4.0% -4.8%
2009 3.8% -5.0%
2010 3.5% -7.9%
2011 3.3% -5.7%
2012 3.2% -3.0%
2013 3.0% -6.3%
2014 2.8% -6.7%

South Korea compared with similar countries

  • South Korea's 2.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.6%, 4.7× the median. (67 countries reporting)
  • South Korea's 2.8% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.1%, 1.3× the median. (32 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 12.5% 11.7% 13.2% 5
1980s 9.6% 8.0% 11.3% 10
1990s 6.5% 5.4% 7.7% 10
2000s 4.5% 3.8% 5.2% 10
2010s 3.2% 2.8% 3.5% 5

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 87 Dominica 2.9% compare
  2. 87 Iran 2.9% compare
  3. 87 Iraq 2.9% compare
  4. 90 Honduras 2.8% compare
  5. 90 Tajikistan 2.8% compare
  6. 93 Trinidad and Tobago 2.7% compare

See the full ranking of 198 places →

More reference data data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in South Korea?
Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in South Korea was 2.8% in 2014, according to NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 13.2% in 1975.
What is the lowest share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 2.8% in 2014.
How does South Korea rank for share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese?
South Korea ranks 90th out of 198 countries with data for 2014.
Is share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 40.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Korea data come from?
The figures come from NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (2017) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese in South Korea. Statizoid, drawing on NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (2017) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/men-weight-categories/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of men defined as underweight, healthy, overweight and obese
Unit
%
Source
NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (2017) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
198 places, 7,920 data points, 1975–2014
Last refreshed

Share of men (% of adult population), who are underweight, healthy/normal, overweight or obese based on body mass index (BMI). Body Mass Index (BMI) is a person's weight divided by their height squared. The WHO define a BMI <=18.5 as underweight; 18.6 to 25.0 as normal/healthy; 25.1 to 30 as overweight; and >30.0 as obese.