Government expenditure on primary education, PPP$ (millions) in South Korea
South Korea: Government expenditure on primary education, PPP$ (millions) was 51,319 millions in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Government expenditure on primary education, PPP$ in South Korea, 1990–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in millions.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 51,319 millions for government expenditure on primary education, ppp$ in 2022. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.
The figure is up 34.7% on the previous year and up 89.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on primary education, ppp$ in South Korea peaked at 51,319 millions in 2022 and was at its lowest, 4,726 millions, in 1990.
That places South Korea 7th out of 138 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, PPP$ (millions) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | millions | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 4,726 millions | — |
| 1991 | 6,147 millions | +30.1% |
| 1992 | 6,702 millions | +9.0% |
| 1993 | 7,312 millions | +9.1% |
| 1994 | 7,284 millions | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 7,923 millions | +8.8% |
| 1998 | 9,230 millions | +16.5% |
| 1999 | 10,935 millions | +18.5% |
| 2015 | 27,072 millions | +147.6% |
| 2016 | 27,842 millions | +2.8% |
| 2017 | 29,410 millions | +5.6% |
| 2018 | 32,489 millions | +10.5% |
| 2019 | 35,412 millions | +9.0% |
| 2020 | 35,610 millions | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 38,097 millions | +7.0% |
| 2022 | 51,319 millions | +34.7% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 51,319 millions is above the median for high income countries, which is 2,700 millions, 19.0× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 51,319 millions is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4,384 millions, 11.7× the median. (17 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government expenditure on primary education, 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 | +147.6% | 10,935 millions | 27,072 millions |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7,532 millions | 4,726 millions | 10,935 millions | 8 |
| 2010s | 30,445 millions | 27,072 millions | 35,412 millions | 5 |
| 2020s | 41,676 millions | 35,610 millions | 51,319 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, ppp$ in South Korea?
- Government expenditure on primary education, ppp$ in South Korea was 51,319 millions in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on primary education, ppp$ recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 51,319 millions in 2022.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on primary education, ppp$ recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,726 millions in 1990.
- How does South Korea rank for government expenditure on primary education, ppp$?
- South Korea ranks 7th out of 138 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government expenditure on primary education, ppp$ rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 89.6%. 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, 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