Share of adults who are obese in South Korea
South Korea: Share of adults who are obese was 7.5% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of adults who are obese in South Korea, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of adults who are obese in South Korea stood at 7.5%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.2% on the previous year and up 66.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in South Korea peaked at 7.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 1980.
That places South Korea 183rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of adults who are obese in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 1.0% | — |
| 1981 | 1.0% | +2.7% |
| 1982 | 1.1% | +3.0% |
| 1983 | 1.1% | +3.3% |
| 1984 | 1.1% | +3.6% |
| 1985 | 1.2% | +3.9% |
| 1986 | 1.2% | +3.8% |
| 1987 | 1.3% | +3.8% |
| 1988 | 1.3% | +4.1% |
| 1989 | 1.4% | +4.3% |
| 1990 | 1.4% | +4.5% |
| 1991 | 1.5% | +4.8% |
| 1992 | 1.6% | +5.0% |
| 1993 | 1.7% | +5.1% |
| 1994 | 1.7% | +5.1% |
| 1995 | 1.8% | +5.1% |
| 1996 | 1.9% | +5.0% |
| 1997 | 2.0% | +5.0% |
| 1998 | 2.1% | +4.9% |
| 1999 | 2.2% | +4.9% |
| 2000 | 2.3% | +5.0% |
| 2001 | 2.4% | +5.1% |
| 2002 | 2.6% | +5.1% |
| 2003 | 2.7% | +5.0% |
| 2004 | 2.8% | +5.0% |
| 2005 | 3.0% | +5.0% |
| 2006 | 3.1% | +5.0% |
| 2007 | 3.3% | +4.9% |
| 2008 | 3.4% | +4.8% |
| 2009 | 3.6% | +4.7% |
| 2010 | 3.8% | +4.5% |
| 2011 | 3.9% | +4.5% |
| 2012 | 4.1% | +4.5% |
| 2013 | 4.3% | +4.7% |
| 2014 | 4.5% | +4.8% |
| 2015 | 4.7% | +5.0% |
| 2016 | 5.0% | +5.1% |
| 2017 | 5.2% | +5.2% |
| 2018 | 5.5% | +5.3% |
| 2019 | 5.8% | +5.3% |
| 2020 | 6.1% | +5.3% |
| 2021 | 6.4% | +5.3% |
| 2022 | 6.8% | +5.3% |
| 2023 | 7.1% | +5.3% |
| 2024 | 7.5% | +5.2% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 7.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 30.0%, 25% of the median. (66 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 7.5% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 24.6%, 31% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.8% | 1.4% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.9% | 2.3% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.7% | 3.8% | 5.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.8% | 6.1% | 7.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More reference data data for South Korea
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9638 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.9281 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2074 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 4.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 19.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.13 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are obese in South Korea?
- Share of adults who are obese in South Korea was 7.5% in 2024, according to World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of adults who are obese recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 7.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 1980.
- How does South Korea rank for share of adults who are obese?
- South Korea ranks 183rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 66.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 Share of adults who are obese. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.