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Hunger · East Asia & Pacific

Hunger and malnutrition in South Korea

0.9%of children under five stunted (2020)Very low

Under 2.5% of people in South Korea go without enough food. 0.9% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 0.2% are dangerously thin.

under 2.5%undernourished (2024, FAO)
5.8%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)
0.9%children under 5 stunted (2020)
0.2%children under 5 wasted (2020)
0.4%children under 5 underweight (2020)
6.2%children under 5 overweight (2020)
15%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)
3 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

How South Korea compares

South Korea has the 128th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In East Asia & Pacific it is 27th of 27.

Frequently asked questions

How many people are hungry in South Korea?

Under 2.5% of people in South Korea are undernourished (2024), FAO's lowest band, so hunger in the sense of too few calories is rare.

What percentage of children are stunted in South Korea?

0.9% of children under five in South Korea were stunted in 2020, which WHO rates very low. 0.2% were wasted (2020). That ranks South Korea 128 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

Sources: FAO (undernourishment, food insecurity), UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Joint Malnutrition Estimates (stunting, wasting, underweight, overweight), WHO (anaemia) and UN IGME (child deaths), as published by the World Bank.

Hunger in other countries of East Asia & Pacific

All countries