Food expenses for the lowest income class in the country jumped nearly 40 percent over the past five years.

According to data from Statistics Korea on Sunday, people in the bottom 20 percent of the income bracket spent a monthly average of 434-thousand won on food in 2024.

It marks an increase of 38-point-six percent from 313-thousand won in 2019.

The rise is much steeper than that of the overall household food expenses, which grew by 26-point-three percent from 666-thousand won in 2019 to 841-thousand won in 2024.

The burden for the lowest income class is likely to increase further amid the continued weakness of the local currency and the trade war between the United States and China.