3 out of 10 Koreans Skip Breakfast... Rice Consumption Increases with Age

Statistics Korea Announces in 'Statistics Plus Spring Issue'
Rice Consumption Higher in Eating Out than Home Meals

A statistical analysis revealed that 3 out of 10 Koreans skip breakfast.

On the 25th, Statistics Korea announced this analysis in the 'Statistics Plus Spring Issue.' The analysis was led by Officer Jeong Mi-ok of the Statistical Development Institute. Officer Jeong processed microdata from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey's food intake survey to analyze how much rice Koreans consume during their three daily meals.

Kyung Hee University students are receiving meals for the '1,000 Won Breakfast' provided at the cost of 1,000 won. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

As a result, the breakfast skipping rate among Koreans was 28.1% in 2019, before the outbreak of COVID-19. This means that 3 out of 10 people do not eat breakfast.

In contrast, the lunch skipping rate was 7.7%, and the dinner skipping rate was 5.4%, much lower than breakfast. The average number of skipped meals per day was 0.41. By age group, those aged 18-39 had the highest average at 0.67 times. Preschool children aged 5 and under had 0.13 times, and those aged 60 and over had 0.18 times, both relatively low.

In 2019, the average daily rice intake per person was 137.2g. Compared to 172.9g in 2013, this represents a 20.6% decrease, averaging a 3.8% annual decline. Rice consumption was more often compensated through eating out rather than home-cooked meals. Additionally, rice intake increased with age.

Comparing rice consumption between eating out and eating at home (naesik), the average rice intake per meal was 59.4g for eating out and 49.3g for eating at home, with eating out having 10g more rice consumption. About a decade ago, in 2013, rice intake was higher at home with 65.2g compared to 62.6g when eating out, but this reversed around 2016. This is because rice intake at home decreased faster than when eating out. From 2013 to 2019, rice intake at home declined by an average of 4.6% annually, a larger decrease than eating out (-0.9%).

The average number of meals per day in which rice was consumed was 1.86. Those aged 60 and over consumed rice 2.27 times, and children aged 5 and under 2.26 times, both higher than the 1.43 times for those aged 18-39. By age group, in 2019, those aged 60 and over consumed an average of 56.8g of rice per meal, the highest among all age groups. This was followed by 40-59 years at 55.6g, 6-17 years at 52.3g, 18-39 years at 51.7g, and 5 years and under at 35.2g.

Officer Jeong pointed out, "Considering recent trends in increased eating out and the differences in rice consumption between eating at home and eating out, it is necessary to improve the estimation methods for rice consumption in eating out in the mid to long term."

Meanwhile, statistics also show that about half of Koreans aged 12-49, who are school-aged or economically active, skip breakfast. According to the '2022 National Health Statistics' released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on January 16, the breakfast skipping rate in Korea was 34%.

Over the past 10 years, the breakfast skipping rate increased by 11.4 percentage points from 22.6% in 2013. Especially among those aged 19-29, more than half (59.2%) reported skipping breakfast, followed by 41.9% of those aged 30-49 and 37.7% of those aged 12-18.

In total, 46.3% of Koreans aged 12-49, who are school-aged or economically active, skip breakfast. Concerned about the negative impact of skipping breakfast on public health and rice consumption, local governments have recently been actively conducting the 'Thousand-Won Breakfast' project in collaboration with universities.