Share of women who are obese in South Korea
South Korea: Share of women who are obese was 6.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of women who are obese in South Korea, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 6.0% for share of women who are obese in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.6% on the previous year and up 41.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women who are obese in South Korea peaked at 6.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 1980.
That places South Korea 192nd out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of women who are obese in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 1.7% | — |
| 1981 | 1.7% | +1.5% |
| 1982 | 1.8% | +1.6% |
| 1983 | 1.8% | +1.7% |
| 1984 | 1.8% | +1.9% |
| 1985 | 1.9% | +2.0% |
| 1986 | 1.9% | +2.1% |
| 1987 | 2.0% | +2.3% |
| 1988 | 2.0% | +2.5% |
| 1989 | 2.1% | +2.7% |
| 1990 | 2.1% | +2.9% |
| 1991 | 2.2% | +3.0% |
| 1992 | 2.2% | +3.1% |
| 1993 | 2.3% | +3.2% |
| 1994 | 2.4% | +3.2% |
| 1995 | 2.5% | +3.1% |
| 1996 | 2.5% | +3.1% |
| 1997 | 2.6% | +3.0% |
| 1998 | 2.7% | +3.0% |
| 1999 | 2.8% | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 2.9% | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 2.9% | +2.7% |
| 2002 | 3.0% | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 3.1% | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 3.2% | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 3.3% | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 3.3% | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 3.4% | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 3.5% | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 3.7% | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 3.8% | +3.1% |
| 2011 | 3.9% | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 4.0% | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 4.1% | +3.2% |
| 2014 | 4.3% | +3.3% |
| 2015 | 4.4% | +3.4% |
| 2016 | 4.6% | +3.5% |
| 2017 | 4.7% | +3.5% |
| 2018 | 4.9% | +3.5% |
| 2019 | 5.1% | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 5.2% | +3.5% |
| 2021 | 5.4% | +3.5% |
| 2022 | 5.6% | +3.5% |
| 2023 | 5.8% | +3.5% |
| 2024 | 6.0% | +3.6% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 6.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 27.1%, 22% of the median. (66 countries reporting)
- South 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% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.4% | 3.8% | 5.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.6% | 5.2% | 6.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More gender data for South 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 share of women who are obese in South Korea?
- Share of women who are obese in South Korea was 6.0% 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 women who are obese recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 6.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of women who are obese recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 1980.
- How does South Korea rank for share of women who are obese?
- South Korea ranks 192nd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of women who are obese rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 41.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South 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 women 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.