Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea: Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 5.4% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
5.4%
Change on year
up 11.2%
World rank
30th
of 185 countries
All-time high
6.2%
in 1982
All-time low
2.1%
in 1975
Years of data
34
1970–2022
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Republic of Korea, 1970–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Republic of Korea recorded 5.4% for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in 2022.
The figure is up 11.2% on the previous year and up 21.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Republic of Korea peaked at 6.2% in 1982 and was at its lowest, 2.1%, in 1975.
Republic of Korea ranks 30th of 185 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Republic of Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 3.4% | — |
| 1971 | 3.7% | +9.4% |
| 1972 | 3.2% | -14.0% |
| 1973 | 2.6% | -16.9% |
| 1975 | 2.1% | -22.2% |
| 1976 | 2.7% | +31.8% |
| 1977 | 2.4% | -11.9% |
| 1979 | 3.0% | +24.3% |
| 1980 | 3.4% | +14.5% |
| 1981 | 2.8% | -16.3% |
| 1982 | 6.2% | +118.1% |
| 1983 | 4.2% | -31.9% |
| 1984 | 3.9% | -7.3% |
| 1985 | 3.9% | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 3.5% | -9.0% |
| 1987 | 3.3% | -7.4% |
| 1988 | 2.7% | -18.6% |
| 1989 | 3.0% | +11.5% |
| 1990 | 2.9% | -0.9% |
| 1991 | 3.4% | +14.8% |
| 1992 | 3.5% | +2.4% |
| 1993 | 3.6% | +3.2% |
| 1994 | 2.9% | -18.4% |
| 1995 | 2.8% | -2.9% |
| 1998 | 3.2% | +14.6% |
| 1999 | 3.3% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 4.5% | +37.0% |
| 2016 | 4.3% | -2.7% |
| 2017 | 4.3% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 4.5% | +3.0% |
| 2019 | 4.7% | +5.1% |
| 2020 | 4.8% | +2.5% |
| 2021 | 4.9% | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 5.4% | +11.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.9% | 2.1% | 3.7% | 8 |
| 1980s | 3.7% | 2.7% | 6.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.2% | 2.8% | 3.6% | 8 |
| 2010s | 4.5% | 4.3% | 4.7% | 5 |
| 2020s | 5.0% | 4.8% | 5.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Korea
- 27 Dominica 5.5% compare
- 28 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 5.4% compare
- 29 Norway 5.4% compare
- 31 France 5.3% compare
- 32 Costa Rica 5.3% compare
- 33 Palestine, State of 5.3% compare
More education data for Republic of Korea
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0484 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Republic of Korea?
- Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Republic of Korea was 5.4% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 6.2% in 1982.
- What is the lowest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.1% in 1975.
- How does Republic of Korea rank for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Republic of Korea ranks 30th out of 185 countries with data for 2022.
- Is initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Republic of Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release