Mean body mass index (BMI) in women in Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea: Mean body mass index (BMI) in women was 23.1 in 2016. ▲ Rising
Mean body mass index (BMI) in women in Republic of Korea, 1975–2016
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Republic of Korea recorded 23.1 for mean body mass index (bmi) in women in 2016. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Republic of Korea peaked at 23.1 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 20.4, in 1975.
That places Republic of Korea 170th 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 Republic of Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 20.4 | — |
| 1976 | 20.5 | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 20.6 | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 20.8 | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 20.9 | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 21.1 | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 21.2 | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 21.3 | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 21.4 | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 21.6 | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 21.7 | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 21.8 | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 21.9 | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 22 | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 22.2 | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 22.3 | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 22.4 | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 22.4 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 22.5 | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 22.6 | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 22.7 | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 22.7 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 22.8 | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 22.8 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 22.8 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 22.8 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 22.9 | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 22.9 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 22.9 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 22.9 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 22.9 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 23 | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 23 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 23 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 23 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 23 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 23 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 23 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 23 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 23.1 | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 23.1 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 23.1 | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 20.64 | 20.4 | 20.9 | 5 |
| 1980s | 21.62 | 21.1 | 22.2 | 10 |
| 1990s | 22.6 | 22.3 | 22.8 | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.93 | 22.8 | 23 | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.04 | 23 | 23.1 | 7 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Korea
More gender data for Republic of Korea
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 4,318 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -3.79 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 46,871 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 46,871 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 0.0957 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 119,025 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 125,732 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 116,471 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 122,813 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 119,098 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Republic of Korea?
- Mean body mass index (bmi) in women in Republic of Korea was 23.1 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 Republic of Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 23.1 in 2014.
- What is the lowest mean body mass index (bmi) in women recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.4 in 1975.
- How does Republic of Korea rank for mean body mass index (bmi) in women?
- Republic of Korea ranks 170th out of 190 countries with data for 2016.
- Is mean body mass index (bmi) in women rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Republic of 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 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'.