Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in South Korea
South Korea: Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese was 34.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or 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
The most recent figure for share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in South Korea is 34.5%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and up 22.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in South Korea peaked at 34.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 6.1%, in 1980.
South Korea ranks 50th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 6.1% | — |
| 1981 | 6.6% | +6.9% |
| 1982 | 7.0% | +6.9% |
| 1983 | 7.5% | +7.0% |
| 1984 | 8.0% | +6.7% |
| 1985 | 8.5% | +6.6% |
| 1986 | 9.1% | +6.4% |
| 1987 | 9.7% | +6.4% |
| 1988 | 10.3% | +6.6% |
| 1989 | 11.0% | +6.7% |
| 1990 | 11.7% | +6.7% |
| 1991 | 12.5% | +6.6% |
| 1992 | 13.3% | +6.3% |
| 1993 | 14.1% | +6.0% |
| 1994 | 14.8% | +5.5% |
| 1995 | 15.6% | +4.9% |
| 1996 | 16.3% | +4.6% |
| 1997 | 17.0% | +4.5% |
| 1998 | 17.8% | +4.8% |
| 1999 | 18.8% | +5.2% |
| 2000 | 19.8% | +5.6% |
| 2001 | 20.9% | +5.6% |
| 2002 | 22.0% | +5.2% |
| 2003 | 23.1% | +4.7% |
| 2004 | 24.0% | +4.0% |
| 2005 | 24.8% | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 25.5% | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 26.1% | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 26.5% | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 26.9% | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 27.2% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 27.4% | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 27.7% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 27.9% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 28.3% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 28.6% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 29.0% | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 29.6% | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 30.3% | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 31.1% | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 31.9% | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 32.7% | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 33.4% | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 34.0% | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 34.5% | +1.6% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 34.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 30.7%, 1.1× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 34.5% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 29.5%, 1.2× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 8.4% | 6.1% | 11.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.2% | 11.7% | 18.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.0% | 19.8% | 26.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.7% | 27.2% | 31.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.3% | 31.9% | 34.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More health data for South Korea
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.43 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.1935 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 2,072 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 69 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -2.66 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0118 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.76 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in South Korea?
- Share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in South Korea was 34.5% 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 children and adolescents who are overweight or obese recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 34.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.1% in 1980.
- How does South Korea rank for share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese?
- South Korea ranks 50th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.1%. 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 children and adolescents 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
Share of children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 years old that are defined as either overweight or obese. This means their weight-for-height is more than one standard deviations from the median of the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards.