Unwaning Popularity of Starbucks in Han... Store Count Ranks 4th Worldwide

Store Growth Continues After COVID-19 Surge
Still 8 Fewer Than Japan, Despite 2.5 Times Larger Population

South Korea has been confirmed as the country with the fourth highest number of Starbucks stores in the world. This is comparable to Japan, which has a significantly larger population than South Korea.

According to the Starbucks global website on the 12th, as of the end of last year, the number of stores in South Korea increased by 116 from the previous year to 1,893. This ranks fourth in the world, following the United States, China, and Japan.

Even after the outbreak of COVID-19, the growth trend of Starbucks stores in South Korea did not slow down, surpassing Canada, where the number of stores sharply declined due to the pandemic. Notably, South Korea has only 8 fewer stores than Japan, ranked third, which has 2.5 times the population with 1,901 stores.

The total number of Starbucks stores worldwide is 38,587, with six countries having more than 1,000 stores. The United States has the most with 16,466 stores, followed by China with 6,975. Together, these two countries account for 61% of the global stores. Canada ranks fifth with 1,465 stores, and the United Kingdom is sixth with 1,297 stores, following Japan and South Korea.

Japan became the first country outside North America to have Starbucks when the first store opened in Ginza, Tokyo in 1996. South Korea followed three years later, opening its first store in front of Ewha Womans University in 1999, marking its 25th anniversary this year.

Until 2013, when Japan surpassed 1,000 stores, South Korea had over 400 fewer stores than Japan. However, by 2019, the gap narrowed to 153 stores, then 121 in 2020, 67 in 2021, 17 in 2022, and now just 8. At this rate, South Korea could surpass Japan within 1 to 2 years.

The number of Starbucks stores is known to be far fewer than domestic brands with relatively lower prices. Ediya has over 3,000 stores, and Mega Coffee reached 2,785 stores as of the end of last month. However, these brands have a higher proportion of takeout customers and generally smaller store sizes.

Meanwhile, Italy and Australia, known for their strong pride in their own coffee, have only 36 and 71 Starbucks stores respectively.