Japan vs South Korea: Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary
Japan
5.2%
in 2023
South Korea
5.5%
in 2024
Japan rank
119th
South Korea rank
117th
Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary over time
- Japan
- South Korea
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 5.5% against 5.2% in Japan, a difference of 0.3%.
That makes South Korea's figure about 1.1 times Japan's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 11 shared years of data; in 2013 it was South Korea ahead.
Japan ranks 119th and South Korea ranks 117th of 179 countries.
South Korea has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 4.0% | 6.7% | 2.7% | South Korea |
| 2020s | 3.5% | 6.4% | 2.9% | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary, Japan or South Korea?
- South Korea, at 5.5% against 5.2% in Japan as of 2024.
- What is the difference in out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary between Japan and South Korea?
- 0.3%, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Korea?
- 11 years are reported by both, from 2013 to 2023.
- How do Japan and South Korea rank globally for out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary?
- Japan ranks 119th and South Korea ranks 117th of 179 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary entry age, both sexes (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release