South Korea vs United Kingdom: Share of children in primary school age who are in school
South Korea
99.9%
in 2024
United Kingdom
99.9%
in 2023
South Korea rank
5th
United Kingdom rank
7th
Share of children in primary school age who are in school over time
- South Korea
- United Kingdom
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 99.9% against 99.9% in United Kingdom, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 11 times across 57 shared years of data; in 1820 it was United Kingdom ahead.
South Korea ranks 5th and United Kingdom ranks 7th of 209 countries.
Across the 20 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 2 and United Kingdom in 18.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 0.0% | 14.1% | 14.1% | United Kingdom |
| 1830s | 0.0% | 17.2% | 17.2% | United Kingdom |
| 1840s | 0.0% | 21.0% | 21.0% | United Kingdom |
| 1850s | 0.0% | 25.2% | 25.2% | United Kingdom |
| 1860s | 0.0% | 26.6% | 26.6% | United Kingdom |
| 1870s | 0.0% | 44.4% | 44.4% | United Kingdom |
| 1880s | 0.0% | 77.2% | 77.1% | United Kingdom |
| 1890s | 0.3% | 94.3% | 94.1% | United Kingdom |
| 1900s | 1.1% | 98.9% | 97.8% | United Kingdom |
| 1910s | 4.3% | 100.0% | 95.7% | United Kingdom |
| 1920s | 13.9% | 100.0% | 86.1% | United Kingdom |
| 1930s | 29.8% | 100.0% | 70.2% | United Kingdom |
| 1940s | 58.6% | 88.6% | 29.9% | United Kingdom |
| 1950s | 87.7% | 100.0% | 12.3% | United Kingdom |
| 1960s | 89.0% | 86.7% | 2.3% | South Korea |
| 1970s | 96.5% | 98.0% | 1.5% | United Kingdom |
| 1980s | 100.0% | 96.0% | 4.0% | South Korea |
| 2000s | 98.8% | 99.5% | 0.7% | United Kingdom |
| 2010s | 98.7% | 98.9% | 0.2% | United Kingdom |
| 2020s | 99.0% | 99.9% | 1.0% | United Kingdom |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of children in primary school age who are in school, South Korea or United Kingdom?
- South Korea, at 99.9% against 99.9% in United Kingdom as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of children in primary school age who are in school between South Korea and United Kingdom?
- 0.0%, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and United Kingdom?
- 57 years are reported by both, from 1820 to 2023.
- How do South Korea and United Kingdom rank globally for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- South Korea ranks 5th and United Kingdom ranks 7th of 209 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of children in primary school age who are in school. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.