[News in Numbers] More Than 1 in 3 Adults Are Obese... 110,000 Annual Deaths from Obesity-Related Diseases

More than one in three adults in the Republic of Korea were found to be obese. Obesity ranks fifth among risk factors leading to death, following hypertension and smoking, with 110,000 people dying annually from obesity-related diseases. This corresponds to 218.8 deaths per 100,000 people.

According to Statistics Korea's "Social Trends in Korea 2024," 37.2% of adults aged 19 and older were obese (body mass index of 25 or higher) in 2022.

From 2012 to 2019, this rate fluctuated in the low to mid-30% range, but it jumped to the high 30% range starting in 2020. By gender, the obesity prevalence among men increased by 11.4 percentage points over 10 years. The obesity rate for men rose significantly from 36.3% in 2012 to 47.7% in 2022. During the same period, the obesity rate among women decreased from 28.0% to 25.7%.

Even within the 10-year period, the increase in obesity prevalence among men was particularly notable starting in 2020. The obesity rate for men, which was 41.8% in 2019, surged to 48.0% in 2020 and then recorded 46.3% in 2021 and 47.7% in 2022, indicating that nearly half of adult men were obese. The obesity rate among women also rose noticeably from 25.0% in 2019 to 27.7% in 2020 but then decreased to 26.9% in 2021 and 25.7% in 2022, returning to the 2019 level. This is interpreted as a result of men, who are more socially active, being more affected by social distancing and reduced physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The number of deaths from diseases related to obesity (deaths with obesity as a risk factor) was 112,161 in 2022, a 7.5% increase from the previous year.

The gender gap in mortality rates became pronounced from age 45, with men dying at a rate 1.5 times higher than women. In the 55?64 and 65?74 age groups, the gap widened to twice as many deaths among men. Here, "deaths with obesity as a risk factor" refers to deaths coded with causes related to obesity and is different from "deaths caused directly by obesity."

Among those who died from diseases related to obesity, 48,446 people (43.2%) died from circulatory system diseases. Most commonly, these were cerebrovascular diseases (23,449 people) or ischemic heart diseases (14,739 people).

Deaths from malignant neoplasms (cancer) numbered 41,980, accounting for 37.4% of the total. Among these, liver and bile duct cancer deaths were the highest at 10,212. Deaths from endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases totaled 11,696, with most deaths caused by diabetes.