Male Binge Drinking Declines, Female Rate Rises; Women in 30s Show Sharpest Increase

While the rate of men engaging in heavy drinking has decreased over the past decade, the rate among women has actually increased. This trend has been particularly pronounced among women in their 30s.

According to a report released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), 'monthly binge drinking rate' refers to the proportion of people who drink 7 or more standard drinks (approximately 5 cans of beer) for men, or 5 or more standard drinks (approximately 3 cans of beer) for women, at least once a month over the past year.

The male monthly binge drinking rate decreased from 61.8% in 2015 to 56.7% in 2024. During the same period, the female monthly binge drinking rate increased from 31.2% to 33.4%. The binge drinking rate for women in their 30s increased by the largest margin in a decade, rising from 33.8% to 42.1%.

Men still have a higher absolute binge drinking rate than women across all age groups. As of 2024, the binge drinking rate for men in their 40s was 65.3%, the highest figure across all genders and age groups.

Regarding the frequency of binge drinking, the most common pattern for men was once a week (31.0%), while for women, it was once a month (14.8%).