Nearly half of South Koreans surveyed experienced persistent fatigue despite adequate rest, while average nightly sleep fell to 6.3 hours, according to a KB Financial Group report released Sunday.
The group’s 2026 Korea Wellness Report found that 49.9 percent of respondents had experienced lingering exhaustion during the previous month. Average sleep duration declined from 6.5 hours in 2024, while the proportion getting at least seven hours dropped 8.8 percentage points to 41.6 percent.
Although 39.5 percent identified sufficient sleep as their preferred way to restore mental well-being, many struggled to get adequate rest. Among those dissatisfied with their sleep quality, 45.9 percent cited smartphone use immediately before bedtime as the leading disruption.
The findings also highlighted growing concern over sleep and stress management, which emerged as the top health priorities. Sleep ranked first at 54 percent, up 5.6 percentage points from 2024, followed by stress management at 51.9 percent, up 5.3 percentage points.
Despite heightened awareness, mental health care lagged. While 90.7 percent considered psychological well-being an essential component of wellness, only 35.7 percent said they actively managed it. Just 26.3 percent had tried activities specifically aimed at emotional well-being.
Exercise also emerged as a stress-management tool, with 34.8 percent citing emotional relief as a motivation, up 13.3 percentage points from two years earlier.
“It is time to look beyond simply living longer and consider health across all aspects of life, including physical and mental well-being and social relationships,” KB Financial Group’s research institute said.
The report drew on a survey of 2,000 respondents conducted from July 21 to Aug. 5, 2026, followed by focus group interviews from Aug. 10 to 12. The full report is available on the KB Financial Group Research Institute’s website.
yejinlim@heraldcorp.com
