1 in 4 Seoul residents don’t drink at all, survey finds

A staff member pours beer into a cup at a booth during the Korea International Beer Expo at Coex in southern Seoul, April 16. Yonhap

Nearly one out of four residents in Seoul reported not drinking alcohol at all in the past year, according to a new citywide survey that shows drinking frequency decreasing and flexible forms of vegetarianism on the rise.

The survey, based on responses from more than 3,000 adults and released Sunday by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, showed that 23.7 percent of respondents said they had not consumed alcohol at all over the last 12 months — up from the previous year’s 21.6 percent.

Among those who do drink, the number of Seoul residents drinking several times a week appears to be declining. The share of respondents who said they drink four or more times a week was 1 percent, down from 1.4 percent the previous year. Those drinking two to three times a week fell to 12.5 percent from 13.4 percent, while those drinking two to four times a month dropped to 23 percent from 31.5 percent.

Less frequent drinking also became more common. The share of people who said they drink about once a month rose to 22.6 percent from 19.8 percent, and those who drink less than once a month increased to 17.3 percent from 12.2 percent.

The survey was conducted through in-person household interviews with 3,024 people aged 18 or older between Sept. 15 and Oct. 31.

The report also pointed to a gradual rise in vegetarian eating patterns.

Overall, 17.3 percent of respondents said they follow some form of vegetarian diet, including lacto-ovo vegetarians who eat dairy and eggs, pollo-pescetarians who eat poultry and fish and flexitarians who mainly eat plant-based foods but occasionally eat meat or fish. That share has climbed steadily from just 5.8 percent in 2022, reaching 16 percent in 2023, 15.8 percent in 2024 and continuing to rise in the latest report.

Meanwhile, the proportion of vegans, who avoid all animal-derived foods, slid down to 1.1 percent from 1.5 percent.

Health-related motivations appear to be driving the trend. In a multiple-answer question, about 65 percent cited weight control and 61.6 percent mentioned overall health management, up sharply from 46.9 percent and 46.2 percent, respectively, in the previous year’s survey.