South Korea

Cat food is expected to maintain strong growth in South Korea in 2024, with a high single-digit current value increase, continuing the trend observed in 2023. However, the increases in these two years were lower than the steady double-digit growth…

In 2023, cheese in South Korea is expected to continue to thrive in retail current value terms, building on the positive growth observed in the previous year. However, a notable opposite trend has emerged in volume terms, as all cheese categories…

In 2022, the total fertility rate in South Korea reached a new low of 0.78, with the number of newborns also dropping below 250,000 for the first time. The ongoing decline of new births in the country is resulting in falling retail volume sales for…

Chocolate confectionery in South Korea is expected to see low retail current value growth in 2024, along with marginal retail volume decline. Mixed developments are being seen in 2024, influenced by broader market trends and changing consumer…

Retail volume and current value sales of cigarettes declined in 2023, maintaining the trend seen in 2022. Nevertheless, cigarettes still constitute a large proportion of sales in the overall tobacco industry. Whilst cigarettes experienced a negative…

Cigars and cigarillos in South Korea has shown significant increases in retail volume sales for four consecutive years, with double-digit growth seen in 2023. One of the main drivers behind the growth in consumption of cigars and cigarillos is a…

Instant coffee has been experiencing continuous retail current value declines, which are set to continue in 2023. The first factor contributing to this decline is the increasing trend of “home café”, or creating café-like experiences at home, whereby…

Colour cosmetics maintained dynamic current value growth in South Korea in 2023, with both premium and mass colour cosmetics experiencing healthy growth, with high single-digit increases. Mass colour cosmetics grew slightly faster than premium,…

The commodities country overview provides comprehensive data on production, consumption and price trends on key commodities markets. The commodities overview in South Korea covers production and consumption trends in agricultural commodities, energy…

The report observes the changing dynamics of loyalty in mobility, focusing specifically on the automotive, shared mobility and car rental industries. It identifies and examines the key themes shaping modern loyalty and how brands should adjust their…

Retail and business volume sales of computers and peripherals declined significantly in 2022, and this trend is expected to continue in 2023. One of the key factors contributing to decline is that the replacement cycle was advanced during the peak of…

For a second year, overall concentrates is set to see little movement in off-trade volume sales, with just a slight decline expected, as marginal growth for powder concentrates is offset by slight decline for liquid concentrates. Liquid concentrates…

Total confectionery packaging volumes increased in South Korea in 2023, seeing a gradual recovery after sales declined during the pandemic. Flexible packaging remained the dominant pack type in chocolate confectionery in 2023, as this offers…

Asian Pacific economies were hard hit by COVID-19, leading to setback in construction activities in the first half of 2020. Robust Chinese recovery, however, boosted construction output in the second half of the year. Heavy infrastructure…

Retail volume sales of major appliances are declining in 2023, albeit by a slower rate compared to 2022, attributed to inflation and consumers’ constrained budgets. During the pandemic, demand for many consumer appliances experienced an unprecedented…

One of the most significant global issues concerning consumer credit is BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later) services, which enable consumers without sufficient funds to make an immediate purchase, locally known as “thin filers”, to obtain goods and pay at a…

With the full lifting of COVID-19-related social distancing measures through 2022 and 2023, and consumers therefore drastically reducing the amount of time spent at home, the retail volume growth rate of overall consumer electronics in South Korea…

In 2023, the significant growth in sales of drive-through outlets was noteworthy. This method of fulfilment showed a triple-digit growth rate during COVID-19 in 2020, and still sustained double-digit current value growth in 2023. From a corporate…

Despite optimistic expectations of rapid recovery in consumer consumption following the COVID-19 pandemic, transaction growth in overall consumer foodservice in South Korea experienced a slowdown in 2023, exacerbated by prolonged inflation. The…

The self-medication trend is growing in South Korea, supporting further sales growth for analgesics, and cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies, especially since the prevalence of the “tripledemic” in the country, consisting of COVID-19,…

Gross consumer lending’s growth is continuing to outperform outstanding balance, driven by card lending, as local consumers spend more with the reopening of society and cross-border travel. However, outstanding balance on card lending (encompassing…

Consumer Lifestyles offers valuable insights into key consumer attitudes and current thinking, and their impact on purchasing and consumption habits; quantifying behaviours, preferences and motivations, and aligning them with broader trends.

Consumer Types can be a powerful tool to help companies better understand and appeal to their target markets. By going beyond typical demographic-based segmentation, such as age or gender, and grouping consumers based on shared traits and…

This report visually explores everyday habits and behaviours which reflect consumers' beliefs and values, linking behavioural trends with purchase and consumption habits. 

Contact lenses in South Korea is set to maintain solid but slower current value growth in 2024. Multifocal lenses are gaining significant popularity in the country, largely driven by the ageing population. As the demographic shift towards an older…

Convenience retailers maintained dynamic growth in current value terms and in terms of outlet numbers in South Korea in 2023. The number of convenience retailers surpassed 50,000 in 2021, and this figure increased to nearly 60,000 in 2023. The…

There have been surges in raw material prices for cooking ingredients and meals in South Korea, primarily attributed to climate change and geopolitical issues, which are further pushing up the average unit price. This has created an upward trajectory…

Like analgesics, sales of cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies continue to rise, benefiting from the “tripledemic” of rising COVID-19 cases, the stronger return of influenza due to greater mobility outside of the home and contact with others,…

In 2022, the relaxation of pandemic-related restrictions, including the easing of social distancing rules, heralded a significant shift in local consumers’ behaviour. With a newfound freedom to venture outdoors, a growing number of individuals opted…

The report will explore the key themes transforming consumer behaviour in Asia Pacific in the world beyond the pandemic, namely Digital Living, Rethink Wellness, Sustainable Living, Make My Life Easier and Search for Experiences, and the strategies…

The Daegu in South Korea report provides comprehensive city level information benchmarked against other cities in the country and region. The report includes historic data and forecasts on city population, consumer expenditure, digital penetration,…

Total dairy packaging volumes saw another year of decline in South Korea in 2023, with falling volumes across all the main categories. Although yoghurt and sour milk products also saw a decline in packaging volumes in 2023, it still accounted for the…

In 2023, dairy products and alternatives in South Korea is set to experience growth in retail current value terms, primarily driven by inflationary factors, which have been affecting the global dairy market. The country’s unique milk pricing system,…

In 2023, the number of debit cards in circulation in South Korea continues to gradually decline following a steady upward trend over 2019-2021. The decline is primarily underpinned by two fundamental factors; namely the declining teenage population…

Deodorants maintained solid current value growth in South Korea in 2023. Deodorant sprays continued to dominate deodorants, and also outpaced deodorant roll-ons, sticks and wipes in terms of value growth in 2023. Consumers prefer deodorant sprays for…