The rate of obesity among children in South Korea has surged more than fourfold over the past five years, according to new data.

The health ministry on Thursday revealed such findings from its comprehensive survey on five-thousand-753 children aged under 18 conducted between last September and December.

It showed the obesity rate among children between the ages of nine and 17 stood at 14-point-three percent in 2023, more than fourfold compared to the three-point-four percent posted in 2018. 

The survey also found that children’s mental health had improved but the number of high-risk cases saw an increase as some 43 percent of respondents had less or no stress, up eight-point-seven percentage points from 2023.

However, the percentage of children who suffered from extreme stress climbed from point-nine percent to one-point-two percent during the same period. 

Meanwhile, the survey also found that the level of satisfaction that children felt about their lives reached seven-point-14 points out of ten in 2023, posting a continuous increase. 

The ministry has been carrying out this comprehensive survey since 2013 for a better understanding of children's lives and growth environments and to use the findings as basic data for devising related policies.