Image to help understand the article
About one in three adults in South Korea is now classified as obese, with the national obesity rate rising 26.9% over the past decade, according to an analysis released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
The agency's analysis of its 2025 Community Health Survey, released Nov. 9, found that 35.4% of South Korean adults were obese, up 7.5 percentage points from 10 years earlier. The figures reveal pronounced differences by age and sex, as well as growing regional disparities.
Men in their 30s and 40s face highest obesity rates
The obesity rate among men reached 42.5% in 2025, approximately 1.9 times the 22.9% rate among women. Men in their 40s had the highest rate at 53.1%, followed by those in their 30s at 52.1% — meaning roughly half of men in both age groups were classified as obese.
Among men older than 40, obesity rates generally declined with age. Women showed the opposite pattern: the rate was lowest among those in their 20s, at 16.4%, and generally increased with age, reaching 27.4% among women 70 and older.
Between 2016 and 2025, obesity rates increased across every male age group. Among women, those in their 20s recorded the largest increase, while women in their 60s were the only female age group to see a decline.
Growing gap between weight and body perception
The survey found that 68.5% of adults had tried to lose or maintain their weight during the previous year. Meanwhile, 45.1% described themselves as slightly or very obese. Both measures increased steadily over the decade, while the proportion of underweight adults — defined by a body mass index below 18.5 — fell to 4.2%.
The findings also highlighted mismatches between actual weight status and personal perceptions. Among people classified as obese who did not consider themselves obese, 36% had made no attempt to manage their weight. Men accounted for 77.4% of this group, which was particularly prevalent among people 60 and older.
Conversely, 39% of people who were medically classified as underweight but considered themselves obese had attempted to lose weight. Women made up 80.6% of this group, which was concentrated among people in their 30s and 40s.
Exercise, sleep and eating habits linked to obesity
The KDCA identified several health behaviors associated with obesity, including not doing strength-training exercises, sleeping six hours or less, skipping breakfast, not walking and drinking alcohol. People who did not engage in strength training had 1.3 times the likelihood of obesity compared with the relevant comparison group in the agency's analysis.
Regional differences were also evident. Obesity rates increased in every part of South Korea except Sejong, the country's administrative city. The KDCA said the disparities underscored the need for prevention and management policies tailored to local conditions.
How South Korea measures obesity
South Korea's annual Community Health Survey interviews approximately 230,000 adults aged 19 and older about their health behaviors and chronic conditions. For the obesity measure, researchers calculate body mass index using participants' self-reported height and weight. A BMI of 25 or higher is classified as obese under the survey's definition.
The agency cautioned that comparisons across years and regions use standardized rates adjusted to the Statistics Korea projected population for 2005, helping account for differences in population composition. The national representative figure is the median of the results from individual cities, counties and districts.
The KDCA said it released the analysis to highlight the importance of obesity prevention and management amid growing public interest in obesity medications.
Comments
Post a Comment