Per capita rice consumption in South Korea fell more than 3 percent last year, reaching a record low of 53.9 kilograms, according to the 2025 Grain Consumption Survey released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics. The figure dropped 1.9 kilograms from a year earlier and is roughly half the level recorded in 1995.
Rice consumption has been declining for four decades, reflecting long-term changes in dietary habits. Total per capita grain consumption, including wheat and other grains, also fell to a record low of 62.5 kilograms.
Despite this trend, rice use in food and beverage manufacturing rose 6.7 percent, exceeding 900,000 tons for the first time, fueled by the popularity of processed rice products amid the K-food boom.
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