As Koreans continue to cut back on drinking, average household alcohol spending falls to 13,000 won a month in Q1
The average household in South Korea spent 13,000 won ($8.60) per month on alcoholic beverages in the first quarter of this year, as alcohol consumption continued to lose momentum, government data showed Tuesday.
According to Statistics Korea, the figure was down 9 percent from a year earlier, marking the 10th consecutive quarterly decline and the steepest annual drop since the agency resumed compiling the data on a quarterly basis in 2019.
The sustained decline reflects changing drinking habits, with more consumers cutting back on alcohol amid growing health consciousness as well as a continued easing of workplace drinking culture.
The culture of heavy drinking also appears to be losing ground. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the median monthly binge-drinking rate across the country's 17 cities and provinces stood at 33.8 percent last year, down from 35.8 percent in 2023.
The monthly binge-drinking rate refers to the share of people who consumed large amounts of alcohol at least once a month over the past year — seven or more drinks, or five cans of beer, for men, and five or more drinks, or three cans of beer, for women.
This article was written with the assistance of AI -- Ed.
milaya@heraldcorp.com
