South Korea Sees Deepening Sleep Crisis: Short Sleep, Rising Disorders, Economic Costs

Korea is grappling with a deepening sleep health problem, even as experts stress its importance. A 2025 Sleep Report presented by Dr. Hye-yoon Kim, a neurology professor at Catholic Kwandong University International St. Mary’s Hospital, found that 89.8% of respondents say sleep is important for physical health and 88.0% say it is important for mental health. Yet only 28.8% report satisfaction with their sleep, underscoring a gap between recognition and experience of restful sleep.

Actual sleep duration in Korea remains well below international guidance. The report shows an average sleep time of 5 hours and 25 minutes, with time spent in bed averaging 6 hours and 39 minutes, meaning many people lie awake for more than an hour after going to bed. This contrasts with the World Health Organization’s guidelines of 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night.

A separate 2024 report by the Korea Sleep Research Society shows broader trends. Koreans average 6 hours 58 minutes of sleep, about 18% below the OECD average. Only 7% report sleeping well every day, roughly half the global average of 13%. The number of people diagnosed with sleep disorders rose from about 278,000 in 2010 to about 678,000 recently, a 140% increase. Economic losses due to sleep problems are estimated at about 11.5 trillion won annually.

Causes of poor sleep are multifaceted. Worries and stress account for 55.4% of sleep disruption, while the use of smartphones and other devices is cited by 49.7%. Despite the high prevalence of sleep problems, only about 20% of those affected seek medical help. Among those with snoring issues, 53.5% have never pursued treatment; when treatment is pursued, it tends to involve relatively mild measures such as weight loss or nasal irrigation.

The issue is particularly acute among shift workers. A study at Gangdong Kyunghee University Hospital, led by Dr. Byung-Jeong Lee, surveyed 463 shift workers and found that 43.3% experienced shift-work sleep disorder, notably higher than the 30–35% rate seen in other schedules. For those with the disorder, insomnia lasting three months or longer and severe daytime sleepiness were linked to a burnout risk that was roughly 4.3 times higher; when insomnia and daytime sleepiness co-occurred, burnout risk rose to about 4.6 times.

Experts urge policy changes to address these conditions. They call for regular sleep screening for shift workers, schedules designed on scientific evidence, and steps to minimize rotating shifts. Such measures could improve worker health and safety and lessen productivity losses, with implications for industries where Korea is a global supplier.

Beyond Korea, the findings matter for U.S. readers because Korea is a major hub for semiconductor and electronics manufacturing and a key component of global supply chains. Sleep-related health costs, reduced productivity, and safety risks among Korean workers can ripple through multinational firms and markets that depend on Korean-produced components and technologies.

A related social note appears in media coverage of sleep deprivation, with headlines suggesting that prolonged wakefulness among young men in Korea may affect testosterone levels. While this line reflects broader health concerns, it highlights the wider public health imperative to address sleep as a factor in workforce vitality and population health.