One out of three Korean people living alone skip breakfast, indicating they have abnormal eating habits and are vulnerable to malnutrition, a survey showed Wednesday.

According to a survey of 500 single-person households and 500 households with more than two members by the state-run Korea Rural Economic Institute, 33.5 percent of those living alone eat no breakfast, nearly double the 18.1 percent of the other group. In particular, 44.2 percent of the singles aged 30 or younger skip breakfast.

They notably take in more carbohydrates and less protein. Their ingestion of other essential nutrients also falls far short of requirements, the survey showed.

The KREI attributed this gap to the trend that those living alone are increasingly dependent on instant food amid irregular meals.