Share of women who are overweight or obese in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of: Share of women who are overweight or obese was 42.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of women who are overweight or obese in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of women who are overweight or obese in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of stood at 42.5%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 31.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women who are overweight or obese in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of peaked at 42.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 9.2%, in 1980.
That places Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 149th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of women who are overweight or obese in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 9.2% | — |
| 1981 | 9.7% | +4.5% |
| 1982 | 10.1% | +4.5% |
| 1983 | 10.6% | +4.5% |
| 1984 | 11.0% | +4.5% |
| 1985 | 11.5% | +4.5% |
| 1986 | 12.0% | +4.5% |
| 1987 | 12.6% | +4.5% |
| 1988 | 13.1% | +4.4% |
| 1989 | 13.7% | +4.4% |
| 1990 | 14.3% | +4.3% |
| 1991 | 14.9% | +4.2% |
| 1992 | 15.5% | +4.1% |
| 1993 | 16.2% | +4.1% |
| 1994 | 16.8% | +4.0% |
| 1995 | 17.4% | +3.8% |
| 1996 | 18.1% | +3.7% |
| 1997 | 18.7% | +3.6% |
| 1998 | 19.4% | +3.6% |
| 1999 | 20.1% | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 20.8% | +3.4% |
| 2001 | 21.4% | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 22.1% | +3.2% |
| 2003 | 22.8% | +3.2% |
| 2004 | 23.6% | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 24.3% | +3.1% |
| 2006 | 25.1% | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 25.9% | +3.2% |
| 2008 | 26.7% | +3.2% |
| 2009 | 27.5% | +3.2% |
| 2010 | 28.4% | +3.2% |
| 2011 | 29.4% | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 30.3% | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 31.3% | +3.2% |
| 2014 | 32.3% | +3.2% |
| 2015 | 33.3% | +3.2% |
| 2016 | 34.3% | +3.1% |
| 2017 | 35.4% | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 36.4% | +2.9% |
| 2019 | 37.4% | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 38.5% | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 39.5% | +2.7% |
| 2022 | 40.5% | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 41.5% | +2.5% |
| 2024 | 42.5% | +2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 11.4% | 9.2% | 13.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.1% | 14.3% | 20.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.0% | 20.8% | 27.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.9% | 28.4% | 37.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.5% | 38.5% | 42.5% | 5 |
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 share of women who are overweight or obese in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- Share of women who are overweight or obese in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of was 42.5% 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 overweight or obese recorded in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- The highest recorded value was 42.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of women who are overweight or obese recorded in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.2% in 1980.
- How does Korea, Democratic People's Republic of rank for share of women who are overweight or obese?
- Korea, Democratic People's Republic of ranks 149th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of women who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.8%. 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 Share of women who are overweight or 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
A person is defined as overweight if they have a body-mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than 25. BMI is a person's weight in kilograms divided by his height in meters squared.