Over the past five years, South Koreans have been sleeping, working, and studying less, while spending significantly more time consuming media. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 29 (Korea Bizwire) — South Koreans are sleeping less, working and studying less, and spending more time consuming digital media than ever before, according to a new government survey tracking the nation’s evolving daily routines.
The Statistics Korea report, released Monday, showed that for the first time since the time-use survey began in 1999, average daily sleep duration has declined, while media consumption has sharply increased — now occupying the largest share of leisure time across all age groups.
The average South Korean aged 10 and above slept 8 hours and 4 minutes a day in 2024, down 8 minutes from five years ago. Meanwhile, the rate of those reporting insomnia surged to 11.9%, up from 7.3% in 2019, with all age groups reporting rising sleep disturbances.
Bedtimes have shifted later by 4 minutes to 11:28 p.m., while wake-up times have crept earlier to 6:59 a.m., suggesting a net loss of rest. Weekend sleep duration remained longer, with teenagers sleeping the most and those in their 50s the least.
Meal patterns also showed notable shifts. The proportion of people regularly eating breakfast fell sharply by 4 percentage points to 63.7%, and more South Koreans are dining alone: 41.7% of breakfasts, 26.9% of lunches, and 25.7% of dinners were solo meals, up across the board.
Over the past five years, South Koreans have been sleeping, working, and studying less, while spending significantly more time consuming media. (Image supported by ChatGPT)
Time spent on work, including job hunting, dropped to 3 hours and 7 minutes daily, while studying declined to just 49 minutes. Commuting and household chores also saw slight reductions, bringing the average “obligatory time” — encompassing work, study, chores, and travel — down by 19 minutes to 7 hours and 20 minutes.
In contrast, leisure time rose to 5 hours and 8 minutes a day, largely driven by increased media usage, which climbed to 2 hours and 43 minutes — a 17-minute jump from five years ago. Media now dominates more than half of leisure time among those in their 30s and older, with nearly all respondents (93.4%) engaging in media activity for at least 10 minutes on Sundays.
Notably, watching video content — including streaming and on-demand platforms — has become the preferred form of relaxation. The share of people watching videos on Sundays soared to 45.4%, up 24.2 percentage points from 2019. On weekdays, that figure nearly tripled from 15.8% to 40.4%.
Use of digital devices such as smartphones, tablets, and PCs expanded across all activity categories, including work, leisure, and commuting.
Weekend routines reveal a pattern of catch-up sleep in the mornings, followed by heavy media use — particularly live video content — during afternoon and evening hours.
The findings are based on the 2024 Time Use Survey conducted by Statistics Korea, which analyzes how citizens spend their 24 hours and is published every five years. The latest edition surveyed 25,000 individuals aged 10 and above from 12,750 households nationwide.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
