Nearly 13 percent of adults in South Korea did no exercise whatsoever in 2025, up by more than 50 percent compared to the previous year, a survey showed Friday.
Some 12.7 percent of the respondents said they "do not work out at all" in the survey conducted by the Korea Health Promotion Institute on 2,000 men and women aged at least 19 last year. The figure surged compared to 8.1 percent in 2024 and 8 percent in 2023.
The report showed that the proportion of adults who work out less than once a month edged up to 8.7 percent from 8.4 percent in 2024 and 8.1 percent in 2023, indicating that Koreans are generally working out less frequently than before.
Some 22.7 percent of the respondents said thy work out almost every day in 2025, which was lower than both the figures from 2024 (26.9 percent) and 2023 (25.8 percent).
The percentage of those who exercise at least once a week was 42.7 percent, lower than the 44.8 percent in 2024 but higher than the 40.7 percent in 2023.
The survey showed that most respondents take care of their health through "retaining personal hygiene and a clean environment," which recorded an average score of 4.2 out of 5 to top all options. It was followed by "sufficient rest (3.9), and "balanced and healthy diet (3.7).
About 74.3 percent urged more investment on the health issue, particularly in addressing the country's aging population and corresponding changes in the demographics, picked by 56.4 percent of the respondents.
Korea has officially become a “super-aged society” as defined by the United Nations, with 21.2 percent of the population being 65 or above as of 2025.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
