Share of children who are stunted vs. GDP per capita in South Korea

South Korea: Share of children who are stunted vs. GDP per capita was 0.9% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
0.9%
Change on year
down 60.9%
World rank
97th
of 97 countries
All-time high
2.5%
in 2003
All-time low
0.9%
in 2020
Years of data
5
2003–2020

Share of children who are stunted vs. GDP per capita in South Korea, 2003–2020

00.511.522.52003201120202003: 2.5 %2011: 1.3 %2014: 1.6 %2017: 2.3 %2020: 0.9 %

Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2020, share of children who are stunted vs. gdp per capita in South Korea stood at 0.9%. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 60.9% on the previous year and down 30.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of children who are stunted vs. gdp per capita in South Korea peaked at 2.5% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 2020.

That places South Korea 97th out of 97 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.

Share of children who are stunted vs. GDP per capita in South Korea, year by year

Annual values for Share of children who are stunted vs. GDP per capita in South Korea, 2003 to 2020.
Year % Change
2003 2.5% —
2011 1.3% -48.0%
2014 1.6% +23.1%
2017 2.3% +43.7%
2020 0.9% -60.9%

South Korea compared with similar countries

  • South Korea's 0.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 3.8%, 24% of the median. (11 countries reporting)
  • South Korea's 0.9% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 21.2%, 4% of the median. (13 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 2.5% 2.5% 2.5% 1
2010s 1.7% 1.3% 2.3% 3
2020s 0.9% 0.9% 0.9% 1

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 94 United Kingdom 2.0% compare
  2. 95 Chile 1.8% compare
  3. 96 Belarus 1.2% compare

See the full ranking of 97 places →

More economy & growth data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children who are stunted vs. gdp per capita in South Korea?
Share of children who are stunted vs. gdp per capita in South Korea was 0.9% in 2020, according to World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of children who are stunted vs. gdp per capita recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 2.5% in 2003.
What is the lowest share of children who are stunted vs. gdp per capita recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 2020.
How does South Korea rank for share of children who are stunted vs. gdp per capita?
South Korea ranks 97th out of 97 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of children who are stunted vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 30.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Korea data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children who are stunted vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of children who are stunted vs. GDP per capita in South Korea. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 28 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/stunting-ihme-vs-gdp/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of children who are stunted vs. GDP per capita
Unit
%
Source
World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
97 places, 955 data points, 1985–2024
Last refreshed

The share of children who are stunted – significantly shorter than the average for their age. GDP per capita is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.