Prevalence of obesity, female in Korea
Korea: Prevalence of obesity, female was 6.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of obesity, female in Korea, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization (WHO):Global Health Observatory Data Repository. Measured in % of female population ages 18+.
Analysis
The most recent figure for prevalence of obesity, female in Korea is 6.0%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.6% on the previous year and up 41.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of obesity, female in Korea peaked at 6.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 1980.
Korea ranks 189th of 196 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Prevalence of obesity, female in Korea, year by year
| Year | % of female population ages 18+ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 1.7% | — |
| 1981 | 1.7% | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 1.8% | +1.7% |
| 1983 | 1.8% | +1.7% |
| 1984 | 1.8% | +1.7% |
| 1985 | 1.9% | +2.2% |
| 1986 | 1.9% | +2.1% |
| 1987 | 2.0% | +2.6% |
| 1988 | 2.0% | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 2.1% | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 2.1% | +2.9% |
| 1991 | 2.2% | +2.8% |
| 1992 | 2.2% | +3.2% |
| 1993 | 2.3% | +3.1% |
| 1994 | 2.4% | +3.0% |
| 1995 | 2.5% | +3.3% |
| 1996 | 2.5% | +2.8% |
| 1997 | 2.6% | +3.1% |
| 1998 | 2.7% | +3.1% |
| 1999 | 2.8% | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 2.9% | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 2.9% | +2.8% |
| 2002 | 3.0% | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 3.1% | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 3.2% | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 3.2% | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 3.3% | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 3.4% | +3.0% |
| 2008 | 3.5% | +2.9% |
| 2009 | 3.6% | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 3.8% | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 3.9% | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 4.0% | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 4.1% | +3.2% |
| 2014 | 4.3% | +3.1% |
| 2015 | 4.4% | +3.5% |
| 2016 | 4.6% | +3.4% |
| 2017 | 4.7% | +3.5% |
| 2018 | 4.9% | +3.6% |
| 2019 | 5.1% | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 5.2% | +3.6% |
| 2021 | 5.4% | +3.4% |
| 2022 | 5.6% | +3.5% |
| 2023 | 5.8% | +3.6% |
| 2024 | 6.0% | +3.6% |
Korea compared with similar countries
- Korea's 6.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 27.1%, 22% of the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Korea's 6.0% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 28.3%, 21% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.9% | 1.7% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.4% | 2.1% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.2% | 2.9% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.4% | 3.8% | 5.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.6% | 5.2% | 6.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Korea
More gender data for 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 prevalence of obesity, female in Korea?
- Prevalence of obesity, female in Korea was 6.0% in 2024, according to World Health Organization (WHO):Global Health Observatory Data Repository.
- What is the highest prevalence of obesity, female recorded in Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 6.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest prevalence of obesity, female recorded in Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 1980.
- How does Korea rank for prevalence of obesity, female?
- Korea ranks 189th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of obesity, female rising or falling in Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 41.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Korea data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization (WHO):Global Health Observatory Data Repository, published as part of Prevalence of obesity, female (% of female population ages 18+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Prevalence of obesity adult is the percentage of adults ages 18 and over whose Body Mass Index (BMI) is 30 kg/m² or higher. Body Mass Index (BMI) is a simple index of weight-for-height, or the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters.