Share of men who are obese in North Korea
North Korea: Share of men who are obese was 9.2% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of men who are 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
North Korea recorded 9.2% for share of men who are obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 5.2% on the previous year and up 69.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of men who are obese in North Korea peaked at 9.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 1980.
North Korea ranks 147th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of men who are obese in North Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 0.6% | — |
| 1981 | 0.6% | +5.2% |
| 1982 | 0.7% | +5.5% |
| 1983 | 0.7% | +5.7% |
| 1984 | 0.8% | +5.9% |
| 1985 | 0.8% | +6.1% |
| 1986 | 0.8% | +6.3% |
| 1987 | 0.9% | +6.4% |
| 1988 | 1.0% | +6.5% |
| 1989 | 1.0% | +6.6% |
| 1990 | 1.1% | +6.7% |
| 1991 | 1.2% | +6.8% |
| 1992 | 1.3% | +6.9% |
| 1993 | 1.3% | +6.9% |
| 1994 | 1.4% | +7.0% |
| 1995 | 1.5% | +7.1% |
| 1996 | 1.6% | +7.2% |
| 1997 | 1.8% | +7.3% |
| 1998 | 1.9% | +7.4% |
| 1999 | 2.0% | +7.5% |
| 2000 | 2.2% | +7.5% |
| 2001 | 2.4% | +7.6% |
| 2002 | 2.5% | +7.6% |
| 2003 | 2.7% | +7.5% |
| 2004 | 2.9% | +7.4% |
| 2005 | 3.1% | +7.3% |
| 2006 | 3.4% | +7.1% |
| 2007 | 3.6% | +6.9% |
| 2008 | 3.8% | +6.8% |
| 2009 | 4.1% | +6.5% |
| 2010 | 4.3% | +6.1% |
| 2011 | 4.6% | +5.9% |
| 2012 | 4.9% | +5.7% |
| 2013 | 5.1% | +5.7% |
| 2014 | 5.4% | +5.7% |
| 2015 | 5.7% | +5.7% |
| 2016 | 6.1% | +5.6% |
| 2017 | 6.4% | +5.5% |
| 2018 | 6.7% | +5.4% |
| 2019 | 7.1% | +5.4% |
| 2020 | 7.5% | +5.3% |
| 2021 | 7.9% | +5.3% |
| 2022 | 8.3% | +5.3% |
| 2023 | 8.7% | +5.2% |
| 2024 | 9.2% | +5.2% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 9.2% is above the median for low income countries, which is 5.7%, 1.6× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 9.2% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 20.5%, 45% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.5% | 1.1% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.1% | 2.2% | 4.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.6% | 4.3% | 7.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.3% | 7.5% | 9.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More reference data data for North Korea
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.9593 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.75 (2050)
- Temperature anomalies by month -2.22 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.3103 °C (2026)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.7425 °C (2026)
- Spring temperature anomalies 2.29 °C (2026)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - IPCC Agriculture 245.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Direct emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 5.57 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Direct emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.91 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 6,873 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of men who are obese in North Korea?
- Share of men who are obese in North Korea was 9.2% 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 men who are obese recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 9.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of men who are obese recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 1980.
- How does North Korea rank for share of men who are obese?
- North Korea ranks 147th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of men who are obese rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 69.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 men 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 as having a body-mass index (BMI) equal to, or greater than, 30. BMI is a person's weight (in kilograms) divided by their height (in meters) squared.