SEOUL — New public health data reveals a widening health divide in South Korea, where roughly one in three adults is now classified as obese. The findings, released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) from its 2025 Community Health Survey, highlight striking disparities across genders, age demographics, and residential areas.

Based on body mass index (BMI) calculations from over 230,000 adult respondents, South Korea’s overall adult obesity rate reached 35.4% last year—a notable 7.5 percentage point jump from 27.9% in 2016.

The report underscores a particularly severe trend among middle-aged men. More than 40% of all surveyed men (42.5%) were found to be obese, nearly double the rate for women (22.9%). The crisis is most acute among men in their 30s and 40s, where over 50% fall into the obese category. Meanwhile, young adults in their 20s experienced the sharpest surge in obesity rates over the past ten years for both sexes.

Health officials also pointed to key lifestyle factors driving these statistics. Lack of strength training, short sleep durations (under six hours per night), skipping breakfast, irregular walking habits, and alcohol consumption were all correlated with higher risks of obesity.

Geographic analysis exposed an even starker contrast. Ulsan recorded the highest provincial obesity rate at 38.2%, whereas Sejong registered the lowest at 29.4%. When examined at the finer county and district (si-gun-gu) level over a three-year average, rural regions like Cheorwon-gun in Gangwon Province peaked at 44.2%—nearly double the rate of affluent urban zones like Gwacheon-si in Gyeonggi Province (23.6%).

Crucially, the data points to a strong socioeconomic correlation. The ten regions with the highest obesity rates reported an average monthly household income of approximately 3.77 million won, compared to 6.83 million won in the ten lowest-obesity areas. Residents in high-obesity regions also exhibited significantly lower rates of physical activity, such as walking and strength conditioning.

KDCA Commissioner Lim Seung-kwan emphasized that rising obesity rates significantly amplify the risk of chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes. Health authorities are now urging local municipalities to develop tailored, community-specific intervention programs that account for regional economic and lifestyle environments.

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