Duration of compulsory education in South Korea
South Korea: Duration of compulsory education was 9 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
9
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
120th
of 205 countries
All-time high
9
in 2004
All-time low
6
in 1997
Years of data
29
1997–2025
Duration of compulsory education in South Korea, 1997–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for duration of compulsory education in South Korea is 9, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 29 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, duration of compulsory education in South Korea peaked at 9 in 2004 and was at its lowest, 6, in 1997.
That places South Korea 120th out of 205 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Duration of compulsory education in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 6 | — |
| 1998 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 7 | +16.7% |
| 2003 | 8 | +14.3% |
| 2004 | 9 | +12.5% |
| 2005 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 9 | +0.0% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 9 is below the median for high income countries, which is 11, 82% of the median. (77 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 9 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9, 1.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 3 |
| 2000s | 8.1 | 6 | 9 | 10 |
| 2010s | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| 2020s | 9 | 9 | 9 | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 120 Afghanistan 9 compare
- 120 Albania 9 compare
- 120 Azerbaijan 9 compare
- 120 Bahrain 9 compare
- 120 Bosnia and Herzegovina 9 compare
- 120 Brunei 9 compare
- 120 China 9 compare
- 120 Cuba 9 compare
- 120 East Timor 9 compare
- 120 Estonia 9 compare
- 120 Gambia 9 compare
- 120 Georgia 9 compare
- 120 Guinea-Bissau 9 compare
- 120 Hong Kong 9 compare
- 120 Indonesia 9 compare
- 120 Iran 9 compare
- 120 Japan 9 compare
- 120 Kazakhstan 9 compare
- 120 Kiribati 9 compare
- 120 Kuwait 9 compare
- 120 Laos 9 compare
- 120 Libya 9 compare
- 120 Liechtenstein 9 compare
- 120 Mali 9 compare
- 120 Mauritania 9 compare
- 120 Montenegro 9 compare
- 120 Morocco 9 compare
- 120 Nepal 9 compare
- 120 Nigeria 9 compare
- 120 Poland 9 compare
- 120 Saudi Arabia 9 compare
- 120 Sierra Leone 9 compare
- 120 Slovenia 9 compare
- 120 South Africa 9 compare
- 120 Syria 9 compare
- 120 Tajikistan 9 compare
- 120 Thailand 9 compare
- 120 Tunisia 9 compare
- 120 Tuvalu 9 compare
- 120 Yemen 9 compare
More education data for South Korea
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 98.79 (2022)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.94 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 233,046 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 76 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 434,627 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 412,067 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.66 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.51 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -4.15 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is duration of compulsory education in South Korea?
- Duration of compulsory education in South Korea was 9 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest duration of compulsory education recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 9 in 2004.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 in 1997.
- How does South Korea rank for duration of compulsory education?
- South Korea ranks 120th out of 205 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Duration of compulsory education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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