2024 Obesity Fact Sheet in Korea: Prevalence of Obesity, Abdominal Obesity, Obesity Defined by Body Fat Percentage, and Underweight in Adults in Korea from 2013 to 2022.

Background: The 2024 Obesity Fact Sheet provides an updated overview of the prevalence of obesity, abdominal obesity, underweight, and obesity as defined by body fat percentage and low muscle mass.

Methods: This study included participants who underwent general health examinations provided by the National Health Insurance Service between 2013 and 2022 (17,220,905 in 2022) and 4,425 participants in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2022).

Results: In 2022, prevalence rates of obesity and abdominal obesity were 38.4% (males 49.6%, females 27.7%) and 24.5% (males 31.3%, females 18.0%), respectively. Although the prevalence of obesity increased across all classes, class II and III obesity increased notably by 1.6-fold and 2.6-fold, respectively, compared with 2013. The prevalence of underweight was highest among adults aged 20 to 24 and those aged ≥85. Across all age groups, the prevalence of underweight was consistently higher among females than in males. The prevalence of obesity, defined as body fat percentage, was 41.5% (46.1% in males and 37.1% in females), whereas that of low muscle mass was 16.8%.

Conclusion: This study presents updated data on the prevalence of obesity, abdominal obesity, underweight, and obesity defined by body fat percentage and low muscle mass. These findings highlight the need for timely strategies for obesity prevention and management, as well as the importance of addressing underweight status among young adults and older individuals. Moreover, our findings emphasize the complexity of obesity assessment, addressing the need for more detailed evaluation of body composition.