ⓒKBS News

Social isolation reached a record level last year, with one out of three South Koreans finding themselves feeling isolated in society.

This is according to Statistics Korea's 2021 “National Quality of Life” report released Tuesday.

Among key indicators, the index on social isolation topped 34 percent last year, up by six-point-four percentage points from two years earlier, and the highest since the survey was launched in 2009.

Isolation refers to having no one to turn to for help in times of crisis or when ill and in need of assistance.

Men were more isolated at 36-point-six percent, five percentage points higher than women. By age, older people were more isolated, with four out of ten people aged 60 and above falling into this category.

Statistics Korea assessed that the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the isolation rate as policies limited face-to-face contact.

With fewer outdoor activities and more people working at home during the pandemic, the obesity rate also jumped to 38-point-three percent in 2020, up four-and-a-half percentage points from a year earlier. Obesity largely surged among men to reach 48 percent, while the rate for women remained unchanged at 28 percent.