Government expenditure on primary education, constant PPP$ (millions) in South Korea
South Korea: Government expenditure on primary education, constant PPP$ (millions) was 52,308 millions in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Government expenditure on primary education, constant PPP$ in South Korea, 1990–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in millions.
Analysis
In 2022, government expenditure on primary education, constant ppp$ in South Korea stood at 52,308 millions. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 29.2% on the previous year and up 61.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on primary education, constant ppp$ in South Korea peaked at 52,308 millions in 2022 and was at its lowest, 8,430 millions, in 1990.
That places South Korea 7th out of 136 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Government expenditure on primary education, constant PPP$ (millions) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | millions | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 8,430 millions | — |
| 1991 | 10,607 millions | +25.8% |
| 1992 | 11,306 millions | +6.6% |
| 1993 | 12,051 millions | +6.6% |
| 1994 | 11,753 millions | -2.5% |
| 1995 | 12,520 millions | +6.5% |
| 1998 | 13,925 millions | +11.2% |
| 1999 | 16,268 millions | +16.8% |
| 2015 | 32,431 millions | +99.4% |
| 2016 | 32,730 millions | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 34,435 millions | +5.2% |
| 2018 | 37,056 millions | +7.6% |
| 2019 | 40,295 millions | +8.7% |
| 2020 | 39,032 millions | -3.1% |
| 2021 | 40,495 millions | +3.7% |
| 2022 | 52,308 millions | +29.2% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 52,308 millions is above the median for high income countries, which is 2,726 millions, 19.2× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 52,308 millions is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4,384 millions, 11.9× the median. (17 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government expenditure on primary education, constant PPP$ (millions) in South Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | +99.4% | 16,268 millions | 32,431 millions |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12,108 millions | 8,430 millions | 16,268 millions | 8 |
| 2010s | 35,389 millions | 32,431 millions | 40,295 millions | 5 |
| 2020s | 43,945 millions | 39,032 millions | 52,308 millions | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
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 government expenditure on primary education, constant ppp$ in South Korea?
- Government expenditure on primary education, constant ppp$ in South Korea was 52,308 millions in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on primary education, constant ppp$ recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 52,308 millions in 2022.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on primary education, constant ppp$ recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 8,430 millions in 1990.
- How does South Korea rank for government expenditure on primary education, constant ppp$?
- South Korea ranks 7th out of 136 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government expenditure on primary education, constant ppp$ rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 61.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on primary education, constant PPP$ (millions). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release