The number of South Korean cafes continues to grow at a brisk pace, according to a government recent study.

The Korea Fair Trade Commission reported there were 15,036 coffee shops in South Korea as of 2018, an increase of 7.9 per cent (1105 shops) over the previous year. The rate of increase was the highest among all types of restaurants.

The data may be a year out of date, but anecdotal feedback from the industry suggests the trend endured into last year.

As of 2018, average annual sales for South Korean cafes amounted to 231 million won (US$190,000), which was 6.5 per cent more than in 2017.