SEOUL, Nov. 3 (Yonhap) — South Korea’s retail sales continued to fall for 2 1/2 years, led by weak demand for durable and non-durable goods, government data showed Sunday.

The retail sales index averaged 100.7 for the third quarter of this year, down 1.9 percent from a year ago, according to data from Statistics Korea.

Quarterly retail sales figures have fallen steadily since the second quarter of 2022, marking the longest decline since Statistics Korea began tracking the data in 1995.

The durable goods sales index has been steadily declining since the first quarter of 2022, except for an increase in the second quarter of last year.

In particular, the sales index for passenger cars fell by 8.4% in the first quarter and by 13.2% in the second quarter.

Sales of home appliances were also sluggish as their index declined for 10 consecutive quarters.

Sales of semi-durable goods, including apparel, also fell on the category sales index, falling 4.7 percent in the third quarter, marking six consecutive quarters of decline.

Non-durables such as food and beverages saw sales decline for a record nine straight quarters, reflecting a continued decline in domestic consumption.