March 7, 2025

South Koreans eat estimated 30 kg of pork last year

The average South Korean consumed an estimated 30 kilogrammes of pork in 2024, according to data released on March 3.

According to data from the Korea Rural Economic Institute, last year's per capita pork consumption marked a 6.8% increase from the five-year average of 28.1 kilogrammes and a 1.4% rise from 2023's 29.6 kilogrammes.

The five-year average excludes the highest and lowest figures from the 2019-2023 period.

Pork consumption was nearly double that of chicken (15.2 kilogrammes) and beef (14.9 kilogrammes).

South Koreans' preference for pork was also reflected in a consumer survey conducted by KREI last December, which found that 63.2% of respondents chose pork as their preferred meat, followed by beef (21.1%), chicken (14.7%) and duck (1.0%).

Among pork cuts, samgyeopsal, or pork belly, was the most favored, with 60% of respondents selecting it as their top choice.

- The Korea Herald