Height of high school students in South Korea 2000-2023, by gender

In 2023, South Korean high school students were among the tallest in Asia, with male students aged 16 years old averaging 174.3 cm and female students averaging 161.7 cm. Both South Korean men and women have seen drastic increases in height over the past century, and in the case of women, the change in average height is the largest increase for any population in the world. 

Height is linked to health

The average height of a population can be a good indicator for the overall health of that country; aside from genetic factors, nutrition and childhood infections play an important role in how a child will develop in terms of growth. South Koreans can expect to live longer these days; the average life expectancy at birth has steadily increased and was at 82.7 years as of 2022. Women are expected to live slightly longer than men by around five years. The average weight of South Korean high school students has also generally increased over the years, which may suggest nutrition has improved. However, as with many other OECD countries, the obesity rate has also increased among the population.