Share of consumer expenditure spent on alcohol and tobacco in South Korea

South Korea: Share of consumer expenditure spent on alcohol and tobacco was 1.5% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
1.5%
Change on year
down 19.0%
World rank
83rd
of 104 countries
All-time high
2.7%
in 2017
All-time low
1.5%
in 2023
Years of data
7
2017–2023

Share of consumer expenditure spent on alcohol and tobacco in South Korea, 2017–2023

01232017202020232017: 2.7 %2018: 2.7 %2019: 1.9 %2020: 1.8 %2021: 1.8 %2022: 1.8 %2023: 1.5 %

Source: USDA Economic Research Service (2022); USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) (2023); USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of consumer expenditure spent on alcohol and tobacco in South Korea is 1.5%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.

The figure is down 19.0% on the previous year and down 45.6% over ten years.

South Korea ranks 83rd of 104 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

Share of consumer expenditure spent on alcohol and tobacco in South Korea, year by year

Annual values for Share of consumer expenditure spent on alcohol and tobacco in South Korea, 2017 to 2023.
Year % Change
2017 2.7% —
2018 2.7% -0.2%
2019 1.9% -31.4%
2020 1.8% -1.2%
2021 1.8% +0.1%
2022 1.8% -0.9%
2023 1.5% -19.0%

South Korea compared with similar countries

  • South Korea's 1.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 3.5%, 42% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
  • South Korea's 1.5% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.9%, 76% of the median. (15 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 2.4% 1.9% 2.7% 3
2020s 1.8% 1.5% 1.8% 4

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 80 Brazil 1.7% compare
  2. 81 Panama 1.6% compare
  3. 82 Malaysia 1.6% compare
  4. 84 Uganda 1.5% compare
  5. 85 Angola 1.4% compare
  6. 86 Pakistan 1.3% compare

See the full ranking of 104 places →

More reference data data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of consumer expenditure spent on alcohol and tobacco in South Korea?
Share of consumer expenditure spent on alcohol and tobacco in South Korea was 1.5% in 2023, according to USDA Economic Research Service (2022); USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) (2023); USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of consumer expenditure spent on alcohol and tobacco recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 2.7% in 2017.
What is the lowest share of consumer expenditure spent on alcohol and tobacco recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 2023.
How does South Korea rank for share of consumer expenditure spent on alcohol and tobacco?
South Korea ranks 83rd out of 104 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of consumer expenditure spent on alcohol and tobacco rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 45.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Korea data come from?
The figures come from USDA Economic Research Service (2022); USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) (2023); USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of consumer expenditure spent on alcohol and tobacco. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of consumer expenditure spent on alcohol and tobacco in South Korea. Statizoid, drawing on USDA Economic Research Service (2022); USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) (2023); USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-expenditure-alcohol-tobacco/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of consumer expenditure spent on alcohol and tobacco
Unit
%
Source
USDA Economic Research Service (2022); USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) (2023); USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
104 places, 727 data points, 2017–2023
Last refreshed

Share of consumer expenditures that are spent on alcohol and tobacco.