"The Land of Ddujjonku": In Korea, 1 in 6 People Consume Excessive Sugar... Even Worse Among Children

16.9% Are Excessive Sugar Consumers... 26.7% Among Ages 1 to 9
Beverages and Teas Are the Main Source... Followed by Fruits, Frozen Desserts, and Confectionery

As President Lee Jaemyung has proposed the introduction of a sugar levy, new data show that the proportion of people in Korea who consume excessive amounts of sugar has once again increased in recent years. In particular, the relatively high rate of excessive sugar intake among children, adolescents, and young adults is being confirmed, underscoring anew the need for policy responses to reduce sugar consumption.

Sugar image to help readers understand the article. Yonhap News

According to the current status of sugar intake analyzed by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the total sugar intake of people in Korea was calculated at 59.8 g in 2023. This represents a slight increase compared with 58.7 g in 2020.

Although total sugar intake has decreased significantly compared with 67.9 g in 2016, it remained in the 58 g range for three consecutive years from 2020 to 2022, before turning upward again in 2023.

The proportion of "excessive sugar consumers," defined as those whose energy intake from sugar accounts for more than 20% of their total energy intake, was found to be 16.9% in 2023. In other words, about 1 in 6 people are consuming sugar excessively.

By age group, the problem of excessive sugar intake was particularly pronounced among "children." The proportion of excessive sugar consumers aged 1 to 9 was 26.7%, the highest among all age groups. This 1-to-9 age group was also the only one in which the proportion of excessive sugar consumers exceeded 20%. They were followed by those aged 10 to 18 at 17.4% and those aged 19 to 29 at 17.0%, indicating that children, adolescents, and young adults have relatively high rates of excessive sugar intake. By gender, women showed a higher proportion of excessive sugar consumers at 21.0%, compared with 12.9% for men.

The main sources of total sugar intake were beverages and teas, followed by fruits, dairy products and frozen desserts, and then bread and confectionery.

Excessive sugar consumers were found to consume more than three times as many beverages and fruits as non-excessive consumers. Fruit intake was 33.5 g among excessive sugar consumers, compared with only 8.64 g among non-excessive consumers. For beverages and teas, excessive consumers took in 30.4 g, while non-excessive consumers consumed 10.94 g, showing a large gap.

The KDCA stated, "It is encouraging that total sugar intake among the public has decreased somewhat compared with the past, but sugar intake through beverages and frozen desserts with high added sugar content remains high," adding, "Continued policy and environmental efforts are needed to reduce sugar intake."