Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in South Korea
South Korea: Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days was 57.7% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in South Korea, 2000–2020
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in South Korea is 57.7%, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 21 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and down 4.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in South Korea peaked at 65.6% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 57.7%, in 2020.
That places South Korea 18th out of 187 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 62.9% | 60.8% | 65.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 59.4% | 58.1% | 60.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 57.7% | 57.7% | 57.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 15 Micronesia (country) 60.3% compare
- 16 Solomon Islands 59.2% compare
- 17 Laos 59.1% compare
- 19 Papua New Guinea 57.3% compare
- 20 Tuvalu 56.2% compare
- 21 Burundi 55.7% compare
More reference data data for South Korea
- Temperature anomalies by month -0.8996 °C (2026)
- Spring temperature anomalies 1.1 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.7164 °C (2026)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.9115 °C (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 2.24 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 135 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Free country 2 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in South Korea?
- Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in South Korea was 57.7% in 2020, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 65.6% in 2001.
- What is the lowest share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 57.7% in 2020.
- How does South Korea rank for share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days?
- South Korea ranks 18th out of 187 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Heavy episodic drinking (drinkers only) is defined as the proportion of adult drinkers (15+ years) who have had at least 60 grams or more of pure alcohol on at least one occasion in the past 30 days. A consumption of 60 grams of pure alcohol corresponds approximately to 6 standard alcoholic drinks.