"'Nodding Off' on the Subway? Here's Why Koreans Are Getting Even Less Sleep"

KB Financial Group Management Research Institute Wellness Report
Sleep ranked No. 1 among Koreans' health interests, but they averaged just 6.3 hours this year
Down 0.2 hours in two years... Only 41.6% slept at least 7 hours
Many seek to age heal

Koreans showed the greatest interest in sleep among health-related topics, but a survey found that their average sleep time this year still fell short of the internationally recommended seven hours.

According to the "2026 Korea Wellness Report," released on October 25 by the KB Financial Group Management Research Institute, the global wellness market is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 7.6% from 2024 to 2029, reaching $9.8 trillion. The Korean market was valued at approximately $119 billion in 2024, ranking 12th worldwide. Wellness refers to the pursuit of physical, mental and social well-being. It means pursuing actions that improve life as a whole, rather than simply being free of illness, and seeking to live better, not just longer.

The institute also surveyed the state of wellness among Koreans. It conducted online and mobile surveys and focus group interviews in July and August among 2,000 men and women aged 25 to 69 who engage in independent economic activity in Korea, including retirees.

The survey found that Koreans' health-related interests have recently expanded from physical health to sleep and mental well-being.

Sleep ranked first among Koreans' health management interests at 54.0%, followed by stress management at 51.9%. These figures were up 5.6 and 5.3 percentage points, respectively, from 2024. Other areas included diet management (44.3%), weight-loss methods (41.0%) and exercise methods (38.4%).

However, sleep-related indicators declined compared with two years ago. Average daily sleep time this year was 6.3 hours, down 0.2 hours from 2024. The share of respondents who slept at least seven hours a day, the amount recommended for adults by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, also fell by 8.8 percentage points to 41.6%.

A larger share of respondents identified mental health as an area of wellness than identified physical health: 90.7% compared with 87.1%. Yet only 35.7% said they actively managed their mental health. That was 14.9 percentage points below the share who said they managed their physical health (50.6%).

More respondents favored "well-aging," or aging healthily, than "anti-aging," or trying to slow or reverse the aging process. The share who said they accepted aging and sought to age healthily (44.8%) exceeded the share who said they tried to slow or reverse it (23.6%).

While 59.9% said they were interested in well-aging, only 29.8% said they actively managed it.

Some 52.4% of respondents used digital devices or applications to manage their health. Of those users, 66.5% used them at least three times a week.

Some 46.2% said they had asked generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini for health or medical information. The next-largest group, 45.1%, said they knew about generative AI but had never used it.

By generation, "Generation Z" (those born from 1995 to 2004) had the highest usage rate, at 55.5%. This was followed by the "M/Y Generation" (those born from 1980 to 1994) at 49.3%, baby boomers (1955 to 1964) at 41.9%, and Generation X (1965 to 1979) at 41.7%.

The most common reason for consulting generative AI was to search for symptoms or illnesses and ask about their causes (61.8%).

However, younger generations were more likely to use AI for emotional and psychological counseling. Among the specific types of health and medical information sought from AI, 37.1% of Generation Z respondents used it for "emotional, mental and psychological counseling"—about three times the share of baby boomers (12.6%).

Researchers Kim Yegu, Kim Namgyeong, Yang Hyejeong and Kang Yunjeong, who authored the report, said, "Koreans' life expectancy and healthy life expectancy rank among the highest in the world, but the country ranks only 67th out of 156 countries in life satisfaction." They added, "The time has come to look beyond simply living longer and to focus on health in life as a whole, encompassing the body, mind and social relationships."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.