Six in 10 South Korean men in their 30s are obese, according to a government survey. Among men in their 50s, the prevalence of diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol all rose, pointing to a growing burden of obesity and chronic disease centered on men aged 30 to 59.
The obesity rate among men in their 30s reached 59.0% last year, up 9.9 percentage points from 49.1% a year earlier, according to the 2025 National Health and Nutrition Survey released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on the 30th. The obesity rate for men overall was 49.1%, little changed from the previous year, but the rate for men in their 50s climbed 5.9 percentage points to 54.0% from 48.1%. The rate for men in their 40s fell 8.4 percentage points to 53.3%, though it remained above half.
Key chronic disease indicators also worsened among men in their 50s. The prevalence of diabetes rose 7.7 percentage points to 24.3% from 16.6%, while high blood pressure increased 5.4 percentage points to 47.0% from 41.6%. High cholesterol also rose 9.4 percentage points to 45.9% from 36.5%. Among men in their 40s, high blood pressure was up 3.7 percentage points and high cholesterol up 5.4 percentage points.
For women, the overall obesity rate rose 2.5 percentage points from a year earlier to 28.7%. The rate for women in their 30s was 28.3%, up 3.7 percentage points, and the rate for those in their 40s was 31.6%, up 5.9 percentage points. Among women in their 50s, however, the prevalence of diabetes fell 2.1 percentage points to 10.4% from 12.5%, and high blood pressure was unchanged at 27.7%. High cholesterol also declined 2.9 percentage points to 41.3% from 44.2%.
Younger adults were no exception. The prevalence of underweight was highest among women in their 20s, at 19.9%. Among men in their 20s, drinking indicators improved while health behaviors including smoking, physical activity and fat intake deteriorated. Women in their 20s and 30s also drank less, but their indicators for smoking, physical activity and fat intake worsened.
Over the longer term, the burden of obesity and high cholesterol is growing. The obesity rate among adults aged 19 and over rose to 39.5% last year from 34.8% in 2016, a 14% increase over the decade. Over the same period, the prevalence of high cholesterol climbed 47% to 24.5% from 16.7%.
"Among people in their 20s and 30s, we saw improvements in drinking along with increased use of tobacco products and higher fat intake, while among those in their 40s and 50s, the prevalence of obesity and chronic disease rose. The health behaviors and chronic diseases that require focused attention differ by age group," said Lim Seung-kwan, commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. "We plan to share the analysis of major health problems by life stage and discuss policy directions."
