South Korea: Alcohol consumption frequency unchanged in 2018, survey shows

According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp., the average frequency of drinking for mainstream consumers was 8.8 days a month in 2018, which was the same as the previous year, The Korea Bizwire reported on January 21.

The survey was conducted with the participation of 2,000 men and women between the ages of 19 and 59.

While the frequency of drinking was same as that of the previous year, the amount of alcohol consumed has steadily decreased.

Among respondents, 30.5 percent answered that they drink 1 to 4 days a month, 29.7 percent answered 5 to 8 days, and 26.7 percent answered 9 to 16 days, while 13.2 percent drank more than 17 days a month.

Consumption wise, respondents drank an average of 6.3 glasses per drinking session, compared to 6.9 glasses last year.

The average consumption of alcohol at a time is steadily decreasing, as it was 8.3 glasses in 2014, 8.2 glasses in 2015, 7.9 glasses in 2016 and 6.9 glasses in 2017.

The survey further analyzed the preferred drinks of respondents. Beer was consumed the most frequently at 40 percent, followed by soju at 31.3 percent, traditional liquor at 19.2 percent and imported wine at 3.2 percent.

Meanwhile, the ministry predicted that the popularity of the ‘drinking alone’ and ‘light drinking’ trends as a way of showing personality and luxury will continue as they did last year, based on in-depth interviews and discussions with female consumers and shop owners.

It is expected that women in their 20s and 30s will prefer establishments with great ambiance and mood.

With the increased number of single households and cheaper alcohol available, light drinking is expected to continue to gain popularity.

E-malt.com, the global information source for the brewing and malting industry professionals. The bi-weekly E-malt.com Newsletters feature latest industry news, statistics in graphs and tables, world barley and malt prices, and other relevant information. Click here to get full access to E-malt.com. If you are a Castle Malting client, you can get free access to E-malt.com website and publications. Contact us for more information at marketing@castlemalting.com .