Body weight — Share of population who are obese in Korea
Korea: Body weight — Share of population who are obese was 8 Percentage of population in 2024. ▲ Rising
Body weight — Share of population who are obese in Korea, 1998–2024
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of population.
Analysis
Korea recorded 8 Percentage of population for body weight — share of population who are obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.
The figure is up 11.1% on the previous year and up 86.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, body weight — share of population who are obese in Korea peaked at 8 Percentage of population in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2.2 Percentage of population, in 1998.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Body weight — Share of population who are obese in Korea, year by year
| Year | Percentage of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 2.2 Percentage of population | — |
| 2001 | 3.2 Percentage of population | +45.5% |
| 2005 | 3.5 Percentage of population | +9.4% |
| 2007 | 3.9 Percentage of population | +11.4% |
| 2008 | 3.7 Percentage of population | -5.1% |
| 2009 | 3.8 Percentage of population | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 4.1 Percentage of population | +7.9% |
| 2011 | 4.3 Percentage of population | +4.9% |
| 2012 | 4.6 Percentage of population | +7.0% |
| 2013 | 4.7 Percentage of population | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 4.3 Percentage of population | -8.5% |
| 2015 | 5.3 Percentage of population | +23.3% |
| 2016 | 5.5 Percentage of population | +3.8% |
| 2017 | 5.4 Percentage of population | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 5.9 Percentage of population | +9.3% |
| 2019 | 5.9 Percentage of population | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 7.4 Percentage of population | +25.4% |
| 2021 | 7 Percentage of population | -5.4% |
| 2022 | 7.1 Percentage of population | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 7.2 Percentage of population | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 8 Percentage of population | +11.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.2 Percentage of population | 2.2 Percentage of population | 2.2 Percentage of population | 1 |
| 2000s | 3.62 Percentage of population | 3.2 Percentage of population | 3.9 Percentage of population | 5 |
| 2010s | 5 Percentage of population | 4.1 Percentage of population | 5.9 Percentage of population | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.34 Percentage of population | 7 Percentage of population | 8 Percentage of population | 5 |
Countries ranked near Korea
- 1 Latvia 24.3 Percentage of population compare
- 1 United States 40.8 Percentage of population compare
- 2 Mexico 36.4 Percentage of population compare
- 3 Argentina 36 Percentage of population compare
- 4 New Zealand 34.2 Percentage of population compare
More population data for Korea
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population -0.199 Percent per annum (2030)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 45,771 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates -0.1991 % change on previous year (2030)
- Annual Purchasing Power Parities and exchange rates — Purchasing 880.12 National currency per US dollar (2025)
- Population projections 37.18 million Persons (2070)
- Historical population data 51.68 million Persons (2025)
- Population by 5-year age groups - Regions 51.22 million Persons (2024)
- Population density - Regions 51.22 million Persons (2024)
- Population by broad age groups - Regions 51.22 million Persons (2024)
- NAAG Chapter 6: Government — Social benefits and social transfers in 12.51 Percentage of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is body weight — share of population who are obese in Korea?
- Body weight — share of population who are obese in Korea was 8 Percentage of population in 2024, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest body weight — share of population who are obese recorded in Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 8 Percentage of population in 2024.
- What is the lowest body weight — share of population who are obese recorded in Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.2 Percentage of population in 1998.
- How does Korea rank for body weight — share of population who are obese?
- Korea ranks 1st out of 1 groups with data for 2024.
- Is body weight — share of population who are obese rising or falling in Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 86.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Body weight — Share of population who are obese. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Unhealthy lifestyles and poor environments cause millions of people to die prematurely. Smoking, harmful alcohol use, physical inactivity and obesity are the root cause of many chronic conditions. This dataset presents the latest data for overweight and obesity (measured and self-reported data). Please refer to the Sources and Methods for detailed country-specific information.