College students who frequently drink alone, known as ‘solo drinkers,’ tend to experience higher levels of depression and anxiety. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — Drinking and depression are on the rise among Seoul residents, with women also showing an increase in smoking over the past four years, according to a new report highlighting widening gender differences in public health.
The Seoul Foundation of Women and Family said in its latest study, “Health Status of Seoul Citizens and the Need for Gender-Responsive Health Policies,” that the proportion of women who reported drinking at least once a month climbed from 40.3 percent in 2020 to 45.6 percent in 2024. Male drinking rates rose more modestly, from 66.5 to 67.7 percent, but remained far higher overall.
High-risk drinking — defined as frequent or heavy consumption — also increased for both genders. Among women, the rate rose from 7.1 to 8.2 percent, while among men it went from 18.0 to 19.6 percent.
Women’s smoking rate edged up from 3.0 to 3.9 percent over the same period, contrasting with a decline among men from 28.9 to 26.6 percent. Although female smoking remains relatively low, researchers noted the uptick as a worrying reversal of past trends.
Feelings of depression, too, became more common. The share of women reporting depressive symptoms rose from 6.4 percent in 2018 to 8.8 percent in 2024, while men’s rate climbed from 3.6 to 6.0 percent.
One bright spot was physical activity: moderate-to-vigorous exercise rates increased to 20.3 percent for women and 30.4 percent for men, with walking rates also jumping sharply for both groups.
Still, obesity rates remain high — 21 percent for women and 40 percent for men — and stress levels, though slightly lower than in 2018, continue to affect roughly a quarter of adults.
The report, based on analysis of 20,000 Seoul respondents from the national Community Health Survey, urged the city to adopt more gender-sensitive health initiatives. It recommended stress management and early-intervention programs for women, and stronger public awareness campaigns targeting smoking and drinking risks among men.
“Public health strategies must reflect gender-specific patterns of risk and behavior,” the foundation concluded, warning that the city’s mental health and substance-use trends may worsen without proactive intervention.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
