1 In 3 Korean Adults Now Obesity, The Number Continues To Rise In The Last 10 Years

JAKARTA - The obesity rate in South Korea has continued to increase in the past decade. Recent data show that now one in three adults in Korea is categorized as obese, a trend that experts think could increase the risk of serious illness in the future.

Reporting from The Korea Times page, according to a Korean Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) report, 34.4 percent of Korean adults have a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or more in 2024. This figure jumped quite sharply from 26.3 percent in 2015, marking a major change in people's lifestyles.

KDCA data also shows striking differences between men and women.

- 41.4 percent of Korean men are classified as obese

- 23 percent of women are classified as obese

Groups of men aged 30'40 years even recorded an alarming figure, namely 53.1 percent and 50.3 percent.

Meanwhile, in women, the obesity rate actually increases with age, with a peak of 26.6 percent at the age of 60 and 27.9 percent at the age of 70 years and over.

Although cases of obesity have increased, public awareness to maintain weight has also increased. About 74.7 percent of men and 78.4 percent of women admitted to trying to lose or maintain weight at least once a year.

The biggest public health challenge in South Jeolla Province, which recorded the highest obesity rate, was 36.8 percent. On the other hand, Sejong City, which is the administrative capital, recorded the lowest figure of 29.1 percent.

This difference shows a lifestyle gap as well as a pattern of eating between regions in South Korea.

"Korea is still below the OECD average in terms of obesity, but changing lifestyles and increasingly Westernized diets make the numbers continue to rise," KDCA wrote in a statement.

They emphasized the importance of tighter monitoring and stronger public health efforts.

OECD data supports these concerns. 36.5 percent of Koreans aged 15 and over are classified as overweight or obese in 2023, lower than the OECD average of 56.4 percent, but still show an upward trend.