Alcohol expenditures in South Korea fell at the fastest pace in seven years in the first quarter amid changing drinking habits and growing health consciousness, government data showed Tuesday.
Households' real consumption expenditures on alcoholic beverages stood at 13,000 won per month on average in the three months that ended in March, down 9 percent from a year earlier, according to data from Statistics Korea.
It marked the steepest on-year decline since 2019, when the agency began compiling the data on a new quarterly basis. The figure has also declined for the 10th consecutive quarter since the fourth quarter of 2023.
The decline came as a growing number of people focused on health and wellness, alongside shifts in corporate culture following the COVID-19 pandemic. Separate data showed that shipments of alcoholic beverages reached 3.15 million kiloliters in 2024, down 17.3 percent from a decade earlier.
