Mean body mass index (BMI) in women in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of: Mean body mass index (BMI) in women was 24 in 2016. ▲ Rising
Mean body mass index (BMI) in women in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, 1975–2016
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2016, mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of stood at 24. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 3.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of peaked at 24 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 22, in 1975.
That places Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 153rd out of 190 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Mean body mass index (BMI) in women in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 22 | — |
| 1976 | 22 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 22.1 | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 22.2 | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 22.2 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 22.3 | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 22.3 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 22.4 | +0.4% |
| 1983 | 22.4 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 22.5 | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 22.5 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 22.5 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 22.6 | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 22.6 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 22.7 | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 22.7 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 22.7 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 22.8 | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 22.8 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 22.8 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 22.9 | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 22.9 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 22.9 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 23 | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 23 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 23 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 23.1 | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 23.1 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 23.2 | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 23.2 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 23.3 | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 23.3 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 23.4 | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 23.4 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 23.5 | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 23.6 | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 23.6 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 23.7 | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 23.8 | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 23.8 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 23.9 | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 24 | +0.4% |
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of compared with similar countries
- Korea, Democratic People's Republic of's 24 is above the median for low income countries, which is 23.3, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Korea, Democratic People's Republic of's 24 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 26.35, 91% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 22.1 | 22 | 22.2 | 5 |
| 1980s | 22.48 | 22.3 | 22.7 | 10 |
| 1990s | 22.85 | 22.7 | 23 | 10 |
| 2000s | 23.25 | 23 | 23.5 | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.77 | 23.6 | 24 | 7 |
Countries ranked near Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
More gender data for Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 4,948 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.7158 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 21,837 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 21,837 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 0.2686 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 162,142 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 171,689 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 163,466 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 172,928 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 164,613 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- Mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of was 24 in 2016, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest mean body mass index (bmi) in women recorded in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- The highest recorded value was 24 in 2016.
- What is the lowest mean body mass index (bmi) in women recorded in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- The lowest recorded value was 22 in 1975.
- How does Korea, Democratic People's Republic of rank for mean body mass index (bmi) in women?
- Korea, Democratic People's Republic of ranks 153rd out of 190 countries with data for 2016.
- Is mean body mass index (bmi) in women rising or falling in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 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 Mean body mass index (BMI) in women. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 42 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Body mass index (BMI) is measured as a person's weight in kilograms (kg) divided by her height (in meters), squared. The WHO define a BMI <=18.5 as 'underweight'; 18.5 to <25 as 'normal/healthy'; 25.0 to <30 as 'overweight'; and >30.0 as 'obese'.