Last year, the sleep time of Koreans decreased for the first time since related research began in 1999. Instead, the time spent watching videos or managing appearance increased.
The time students spent studying at school only increased for elementary school students. For middle school, high school, and college students, learning time for school activities decreased. The study time outside of school decreased only for college students.
The Statistics Korea announced on the 28th the results of the '2024 Time Use Survey' highlighting this content. Since 1999, Statistics Korea has conducted a survey every five years on how Koreans spend their day and made it public.
Last year, the essential time spent by citizens aged 10 and older for sleep and meals was an average of 11 hours and 32 minutes. Of this, sleep time was 8 hours and 4 minutes, which is 8 minutes less than five years ago (8 hours and 12 minutes). This marks the first decrease since the survey began.
Kim Ji-eun, head of the Social Statistics Planning Division at Statistics Korea, noted regarding the decrease in sleep time, "Since the onset of COVID-19, more people have been watching Netflix, YouTube, and so on," adding, "These factors may have had some impact."
Sleep time decreased across all age groups. For those aged 10 to 19, it dropped from 8 hours and 43 minutes in 2019 to 8 hours and 39 minutes last year. During the same period, those aged 20 to 29 decreased from 8 hours and 27 minutes to 8 hours and 17 minutes, while those aged 30 to 39 dropped from 8 hours and 14 minutes to 8 hours and 7 minutes, and those aged 40 to 49 decreased from 7 hours and 57 minutes to 7 hours and 54 minutes. Those aged 50 to 59 also saw a decline from 7 hours and 48 minutes to 7 hours and 42 minutes, and those aged 60 and over decreased from 8 hours and 18 minutes to 8 hours and 5 minutes. The average bedtime was 11:28 p.m., and the wake-up time was 6:59 a.m.
The obligatory time spent on work, study, and housework is 7 hours and 20 minutes. Compared to five years ago, working time decreased by 6 minutes to 3 hours and 7 minutes. Study time and housework also declined by 5 and 4 minutes, respectively, to 49 minutes and 1 hour and 52 minutes.
The time spent on leisure activities such as reading books, watching YouTube videos, or engaging in social and sports activities was 5 hours and 8 minutes. A detailed look shows that media use increased by 17 minutes compared to five years ago, totaling 2 hours and 43 minutes. Sports activities also increased by 5 minutes during the same period.
Among students, high school students had the longest weekday school activity learning time at 4 hours and 48 minutes. Middle school students spent 4 hours and 20 minutes, while elementary students spent 3 hours and 58 minutes. Compared to five years ago, elementary students increased by 5 minutes, but middle school students decreased by 9 minutes, and high school students decreased by 29 minutes.
The learning time outside of weekday school activities was highest among high school students at 3 hours and 6 minutes. Middle school students spent 2 hours and 55 minutes, elementary students 2 hours and 38 minutes, and college students spent 1 hour and 37 minutes. Compared to five years ago, high school students increased by 26 minutes, middle school students by 4 minutes, and elementary students by 22 minutes, while college students decreased by 5 minutes.
Their average bedtime was 10:37 p.m. for elementary school students, 11:37 p.m. for middle school students, and 12:16 a.m. for high school students. Among students, 61.4% feel they lack time on a regular basis and expressed a desire to reduce their self-study the most. Additionally, 73.2% of students felt fatigued after their daily routines, citing self-study as the main reason. Meanwhile, 55.7% of students were satisfied with their lives, and 50.8% were satisfied with their leisure time.
Among citizens aged 15 and older, employed individuals were found to work an average of 6 hours and 8 minutes on weekdays. Men worked 6 hours and 36 minutes, while women worked 5 hours and 32 minutes, marking a decrease of 20 minutes and 6 minutes, respectively, compared to five years ago.
For workers who worked less than 36 hours a week, their leisure time was 5 hours and 1 minute, while those working 36 hours or more had only 3 hours and 53 minutes of leisure time. About 65.5% of employed individuals feel they lack time regularly and expressed a desire to reduce their workload. Moreover, 84.3% of employed individuals felt fatigued after their daily routines, with the main reason cited being work.