Share of adults who are overweight or obese in North Korea
North Korea: Share of adults who are overweight or obese was 39.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are overweight or obese in North 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 overweight or obese in North Korea stood at 39.1%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.8% on the previous year and up 35.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are overweight or obese in North Korea peaked at 39.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 8.4%, in 1980.
That places North Korea 149th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of adults who are overweight or obese in North Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 8.4% | — |
| 1981 | 8.7% | +3.8% |
| 1982 | 9.0% | +3.9% |
| 1983 | 9.4% | +3.9% |
| 1984 | 9.8% | +3.9% |
| 1985 | 10.1% | +4.0% |
| 1986 | 10.5% | +4.0% |
| 1987 | 11.0% | +4.0% |
| 1988 | 11.4% | +4.0% |
| 1989 | 11.8% | +3.9% |
| 1990 | 12.3% | +3.9% |
| 1991 | 12.8% | +3.9% |
| 1992 | 13.3% | +3.9% |
| 1993 | 13.8% | +3.9% |
| 1994 | 14.3% | +3.9% |
| 1995 | 14.9% | +3.8% |
| 1996 | 15.4% | +3.8% |
| 1997 | 16.0% | +3.8% |
| 1998 | 16.6% | +3.7% |
| 1999 | 17.2% | +3.7% |
| 2000 | 17.9% | +3.6% |
| 2001 | 18.5% | +3.6% |
| 2002 | 19.2% | +3.6% |
| 2003 | 19.8% | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 20.5% | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 21.3% | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 22.0% | +3.5% |
| 2007 | 22.8% | +3.5% |
| 2008 | 23.6% | +3.5% |
| 2009 | 24.4% | +3.5% |
| 2010 | 25.2% | +3.5% |
| 2011 | 26.1% | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 27.0% | +3.5% |
| 2013 | 28.0% | +3.5% |
| 2014 | 28.9% | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 29.9% | +3.4% |
| 2016 | 30.9% | +3.3% |
| 2017 | 31.9% | +3.3% |
| 2018 | 32.9% | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 33.9% | +3.1% |
| 2020 | 35.0% | +3.0% |
| 2021 | 36.0% | +3.0% |
| 2022 | 37.0% | +2.9% |
| 2023 | 38.1% | +2.8% |
| 2024 | 39.1% | +2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10.0% | 8.4% | 11.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.7% | 12.3% | 17.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.0% | 17.9% | 24.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.5% | 25.2% | 33.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.0% | 35.0% | 39.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More reference data data for North Korea
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.3562 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.75 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.9593 (2050)
- Temperature anomalies by month -2.22 °C (2026)
- Spring temperature anomalies 2.29 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.3103 °C (2026)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Burning - Crop 99.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 9,167 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure Management 656.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure applied to Soils 316.45 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are overweight or obese in North Korea?
- Share of adults who are overweight or obese in North Korea was 39.1% 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 overweight or obese recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 39.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are overweight or obese recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.4% in 1980.
- How does North Korea rank for share of adults who are overweight or obese?
- North Korea ranks 149th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are overweight or obese rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 35.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North 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 overweight or 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
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.