112,000 People Die Annually from Obesity-Related Diseases

Statistics Korea 'Social Trends in Korea 2024'
Deaths Mainly from Cerebrovascular and Heart Diseases
37.2% of Adults Already Obese

It has been confirmed that more than 110,000 people die each year from obesity-related diseases. Additionally, more than one in three adults are already obese.

According to the "Social Trends in Korea 2024" released by Statistics Korea on the 19th, the number of deaths due to obesity-related diseases in 2022 was recorded at 112,161, an increase of about 7.5% in one year. Among them, 57,446 were men and 54,715 were women. The mortality sex ratio increases from age 35, and around age 65, the mortality rate for men was twice as high as that for women.

This statistic uses "obesity as a risk factor." Obesity is an independent cause of death under the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) system. However, it is rarely used because it is difficult to diagnose a direct causal relationship between obesity and death. Instead, analyses are conducted to assess how much obesity acted as a risk factor contributing to death.

Among the deaths from obesity-related diseases, 48,446 (43.2%) were caused by circulatory system diseases. These mainly included cerebrovascular diseases (23,449) and ischemic heart diseases (14,739). Deaths from malignant neoplasms (cancer) accounted for 41,980, representing 37.4% of the total. Among these, deaths from liver and bile duct cancer were the highest at 10,212. Deaths from endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases numbered 11,696, most of which were due to diabetes.

Looking at the mortality rates of the top seven causes of death, most showed an increasing trend from 2012 to 2022, except for liver cancer. In particular, cerebrovascular diseases and diabetes decreased after 2012 but have rapidly increased since 2019.

The obese population in Korea is steadily increasing. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, 37.2% of adults aged 19 and older in Korea were obese with a body mass index of 25 or higher in 2022. This is a 4.8 percentage point increase from 32.4% ten years ago. During this period, the prevalence of adult obesity among women remained around 20-30%, but among men, it steadily increased from 36.3% to 47.7%.

By age group, the increase in adolescent obesity rates over the past 10 years has been remarkable. In 2022, the obesity rate among male students was 15.5%, which is 2.1 times higher than 7.5% in 2012. The obesity rate among female students also increased 1.8 times to 8.5% during the same period. Statistics Korea explained that the increase in obesity rates among the younger generation reflects health behaviors such as dietary habits, and childhood obesity is likely to continue into adulthood.

The Statistics Development Institute of Statistics Korea stated, "Obesity is not simply a matter of appearance or aesthetics but a disease and a risk factor that causes death," adding, "To address this, efforts are needed not only at the individual level but also socially and through policy."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.