South Korea

Total sweet spreads packaging volumes maintained growth in South Korea in 2023. Jams and preserves continued to account for the highest packaging volumes, and also saw the highest growth. Glass jars continued to be the dominant packaging for sweet…

Although it saw a decline in packaging volumes in 2023, PET bottles remained the predominant pack type in sauces, dips and condiments packaging in South Korea in 2023. PET bottles offer convenience and practicality, making them suitable for a wide…

Total packaging volumes declined in processed meat and seafood for a second year in South Korea in 2023, although this was a continued normalisation process after the pandemic, and volumes remained higher than in 2019. Chilled processed meat…

Total processed and fruit and vegetables packaging volumes maintained slow, stable growth in 2023. Within frozen processed potatoes, flexible plastic was the only pack type with notable packaging volumes in South Korea in 2023, due to its…

Within plant-based dairy in South Korea, plant-based milk was the only category with notable packaging volumes in 2023, as plant-based yoghurt and cheese are still in their early stages of development. Brick liquid cartons is the preferred pack type…

Total meals and soups packaging volumes continued to see a dramatic rise in 2023. Flexible plastic was the leading pack type in meals and soups packaging in South Korea in 2023, used across most categories, as this offers functionality, convenience,…

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…

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…

Total baby food packaging volumes continued to rise in South Korea in 2023. In this year, plastic pouches experienced growth in packaging volumes in baby food, as these offer exceptional convenience for parents, providing a lightweight, portable, and…

Sweet biscuits, snack bars and fruit snacks in South Korea is set to maintain retail volume and current value growth in 2024, with growth anticipated for all the main categories. In particular, remarkable growth is expected for cereal bars and…

Sugar confectionery in South Korea saw solid retail volume and current value growth in 2023, and this trend is expected to be maintained in 2024. Standard mints is set to see one of the strongest growth rates in sugar confectionery in South Korea in…

Snacks in South Korea is set to maintain solid retail current value growth in 2024, affected by multiple influences. Inflation, along with the rising costs of raw materials and labour, is exerting significant pressure on manufacturers, leading to…

Savoury snacks in South Korea is set to maintain solid growth in both retail volume and current value terms in 2024. With a declining youth population in the country, consumers in their 30s and 40s are driving the popularity of savoury snacks,…

In 2024, ice cream in South Korea is expected to see trends similar to the previous year, with low retail volume growth and more dynamic current value growth. Consumer spending patterns reflect a growing preference for premium and healthier ice cream…

Historically, gum experienced long-term stagnation or decline, with even more significant falls in sales seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, sales of gum in South Korea saw a resurgence in 2023 following the end of the pandemic, and growth is…

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…

In South Korea, the alcoholic drinks industry has been rapidly evolving, witnessing a swift transition from imported beers to craft beers, then to wines, and subsequently to whiskies and highballs. The industry is now speculating about the next big…

Sprits in South Korea recorded a total volume decline in 2023. However, not all categories faced a negative performance. For instance, whiskies demonstrated robust growth, notably influenced by the behaviours of Generation Z of legal drinking age,…

RTDs in South Korea saw exceptional total volume growth in 2023, mainly driven by off-trade growth, although on-trade sales also saw a double-digit increase. Growth was primarily driven by an increase in light home drinking, and a rise in young…

Despite expectations that the endemic phase of the pandemic would herald a second year of dynamic revival for the on-trade, and a flourishing year for total volume sales of beer in 2023, beer in South Korea experienced stagnation, with declines seen…

In 2023, alcoholic drinks in South Korea turned to slight total volume decline. The industry navigated a complex landscape marked by high expectations for post-pandemic recovery, which was somewhat dampened by significant consumer cost burden due to…

In 2023, sales of sunglasses in South Korea soared in current value terms, seeing a double-digit increase, reflecting a significant upward trend that is expected to accelerate in 2024. This impressive growth can be attributed to a variety of factors,…

Spectacles in South Korea saw only slow current value growth in 2023, and this trend is anticipated to continue into 2024, with the expectation of a further slowdown in year-on-year growth. However, within spectacles, the three categories – readymade…

In 2024, overall eyewear in South Korea is set to see current value growth. The prevalence of vision impairments is on the rise in Korea, with an increasing number of people affected by presbyopia, myopia, and hyperopia. The overall increase in…

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…

In 2023, overall retail current value sales of tobacco in South Korea showed a positive growth rate compared with the previous year, yet the growth rate was minimal, resulting in no significant difference in actual sales compared with 2022.

In 2023, heated tobacco products in South Korea maintained double-digit retail volume and current value growth. The competition for the top spots in heated tobacco is intensifying. KT&G, Philip Morris Korea, and Rothmans Far East (BAT) are all…

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…

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…

In 2023, homewares in South Korea maintained a current value decline, although this was mainly due to normalisation after a peak in sales during the pandemic in 2020, and sales remained far above the pre-pandemic level. Dinnerware continued to see…

Home improvement in South Korea maintained dynamic current value growth in 2023, with a double-digit increase, maintaining the trend seen for the previous two years. Bathroom and sanitaryware maintained strong growth in home improvement in 2023, due…

Home furnishings in Korea saw another year of current value decline in 2023, although this was slower than in the previous year. However, not all categories saw a declining trend; for instance, barbecues witnessed solid value growth in 2023. This was…

In 2023, home and garden in South Korea saw low current value growth, but faced mixed performances across various categories, influenced by the broader economic landscape and shifting consumer preferences. Real GDP growth slowed in 2023, impacting…

Gardening in South Korea witnessed a slight current value decline in 2023, although many categories maintained solid growth. For instance, gardening equipment experienced increasing sales, due to the rising popularity of gardening as a recreational…

In 2023, video games in South Korea experienced a notable current value decline. This turnaround, after years of growth, was propelled by various factors, foremost among them being the waning impact of COVID-19, which led to a resurgence in outdoor…

After seeing a fairly steep decline in 2022, traditional toys and games in South Korea saw a further small fall in sales in current value terms in 2023. Only half the categories within traditional toys and games showed growth in 2023, with just four…

After many years of growth, in 2023 toys and games in South Korea witnessed a notable current value decline, with traditional toys and games seeing only a slight fall in sales, and video games a stronger decrease. Toys and games witnessed a decrease…

In 2024, pet products in South Korea is set to maintain the trend seen in 2023, displaying overall resilience, but each category exhibiting its own growth trajectory. Cat litter, for example, is expected to see continued consistent and robust…

Pet care in South Korea has faced challenges amidst economic slowdown, but is expected to continue to demonstrate resilience and growth in both retail volume and current value terms in 2024. As the economy struggled and living expenses surged at the…

In 2024, maintaining the negative trend seen in 2023, other pet food is set to see declines in both retail volume and current value terms in South Korea. During the pandemic, there was a notable increase in the population of other pets; however, in…

After seeing minimal current value growth in 2023, dog food is set to record another year of low single-digit growth in South Korea in 2024. Due to the slowdown in growth in the dog population, and the economic downturn, there have been low growth…

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…

Rigid plastic dominates packaging unit volumes in the South Korean soft drinks industry, predominantly in the form of PET bottles, but also thin wall plastic containers and HDPE bottles, although the latter pack type still has a very small footprint.…

While instant coffee continued to decline, the desire for better-quality coffee is helping to continue to drive sales of fresh ground coffee pods, which are therefore becoming an increasing area of focus for coffee companies. Even after coffee pods…

Sun care saw dynamic current value growth in South Korea in 2023, with sales rising above the pre-pandemic level. Sun protection witnessed a notable rise, especially the mass segment, as outdoor activities increased. Several factors contributed to…

In 2023, overall skin care saw only low current value growth in South Korea. However, while mass skin care experienced solid growth, premium skin care recorded a second consecutive year of decline. Mass brands exhibited rapid development in terms of…

Premium beauty and personal care maintained solid but slowing current value growth in South Korea in 2023. Within premium beauty and personal care, fragrances, BB/CC creams, hand care, and lipstick demonstrated robust growth, amongst others. These…

Oral care saw even stronger current value growth in South Korea in 2023 than in the previous few years. Consumer awareness of oral hygiene continues to grow, contributing to the healthy growth of the category in this year. Most categories within oral…

Men’s grooming maintained solid current value growth in South Korea in 2023. However, sales of premium men’s deodorants and premium men’s hair care products continued to be negligible, primarily because demand remains within the mass segment in these…

Although growth slowed from the previous year, mass beauty and personal care maintained solid current value growth in South Korea in 2023. Mass colour cosmetics and general purpose body care were amongst the categories that saw healthy growth. Mass…