As of November 2023, the number of cafés in South Korea has surpassed 100,000, nearly doubling since 2018. Starbucks, the market leader by revenue, has expanded significantly, with the number of stores increasing 3.7 times over the past decade, from 467 locations in 2012 to 1,750 by the fourth quarter of 2022. South Korea ranks fourth in the world in terms of the number of Starbucks stores, behind the United States, China and Canada. In 2022, Starbucks reported approximately 2.6 trillion won in revenue, becoming the first coffee chain in the country to surpass the 1 trillion won revenue milestone. Overall, the revenue of domestic coffee specialty stores reached approximately 2.6184 trillion won in 2022. However, by the end of the third quarter of 2023, revenue had fallen to around 1.95 trillion won, a decrease of 200 billion won from the same period a year earlier.

The coffee market size in South Korea was KRW 2.7179 trillion in 2020 and grew to KRW 3.1168 trillion in 2021, representing an annual growth rate of 6.6% between 2018 and 2021. This growth trend continued in 2022, reaching approximately KRW 3.1717 trillion. That year, the breakdown of the coffee market was as follows: 35.6% liquid coffee, 32.6% roasted coffee, 24.8% prepared coffee, and 7% instant coffee. The total coffee market in South Korea is estimated to grow from KRW 6 trillion in 2021 to KRW 8.6 trillion in 2022. By 2018, South Korea had already become one of the largest coffee markets in the world, ranking third in green bean consumption after the United States and China.

In 2021, South Korea’s beverage market was valued at approximately 9.58 trillion won, with coffee accounting for 32.52% of the total, far outpacing carbonated beverages with a 23.96% share. A consumer survey conducted in May 2022 revealed that 45% of respondents cited coffee as their most frequently consumed beverage, three times more than carbonated beverages (14%) and four times more than milk (11%).
Daily coffee consumption in South Korea is typically between 2 and 3 cups for 47.7% of respondents, with 87.8% reporting that they drink at least one cup daily. In 2023, annual per-capita coffee consumption reached 405 cups, more than double the global average of 152 cups and 1.3 times the U.S. average of 318 cups. Many Koreans drink coffee out of habit (56.1%), and this tendency is more pronounced among older people.

The continued growth of the domestic coffee market has also driven Korean coffee companies to expand internationally. One notable example is Korean Macnulty Co., Ltd., the leader in the South Korean roasted coffee market. Macnulty sources green beans from more than 30 coffee-producing countries on three continents and exports roasted beans and prepared coffee products worldwide.
Korea’s coffee export has steadily increased, from USD 175.79 million in 2018 to USD 233.1 million in 2023. Major export destinations for Korean coffee include Hong Kong, the United States, Taiwan, Mongolia, Malaysia, Israel, China, Australia, Russia, Canada, South Africa, and Japan.