Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Korea
Korea: Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education was 9 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
9
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
106th
of 214 countries
All-time high
9
in 2004
All-time low
6
in 1997
Years of data
29
1997–2025
Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Korea, 1997–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Korea is 9, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 29 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Korea peaked at 9 in 2004 and was at its lowest, 6, in 1997.
Korea ranks 106th of 214 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in 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% |
Korea compared with similar countries
- Korea's 9 is below the median for high income countries, which is 10, 90% of the median. (76 countries reporting)
- Korea's 9 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9, 1.0× the median. (33 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 Korea
- 106 Afghanistan 9 compare
- 106 Angola 9 compare
- 106 Albania 9 compare
- 106 Azerbaijan 9 compare
- 106 Bulgaria 9 compare
- 106 Bahrain 9 compare
- 106 Bosnia and Herzegovina 9 compare
- 106 Brunei Darussalam 9 compare
- 106 China 9 compare
- 106 Cuba 9 compare
- 106 Cyprus 9 compare
- 106 Czechia 9 compare
- 106 Estonia 9 compare
- 106 Georgia 9 compare
- 106 Ghana 9 compare
- 106 Gambia 9 compare
- 106 Guinea-Bissau 9 compare
- 106 Greece 9 compare
- 106 Guatemala 9 compare
- 106 Hong Kong, China 9 compare
- 106 Indonesia 9 compare
- 106 Iran, Islamic Republic of 9 compare
- 106 Japan 9 compare
- 106 Kazakhstan 9 compare
- 106 Kyrgyzstan 9 compare
- 106 Kiribati 9 compare
- 106 Kuwait 9 compare
- 106 Lao People's Democratic Republic 9 compare
- 106 Libya 9 compare
- 106 Latvia 9 compare
- 106 Macau, China 9 compare
- 106 Morocco 9 compare
- 106 Republic of Moldova 9 compare
- 106 Mali 9 compare
- 106 Montenegro 9 compare
- 106 Mauritania 9 compare
- 106 Nigeria 9 compare
- 106 Panama 9 compare
- 106 Saudi Arabia 9 compare
- 106 Sierra Leone 9 compare
- 106 El Salvador 9 compare
- 106 Slovenia 9 compare
- 106 Sweden 9 compare
- 106 Syrian Arab Republic 9 compare
- 106 Thailand 9 compare
- 106 Tajikistan 9 compare
- 106 Timor-Leste 9 compare
- 106 Tunisia 9 compare
- 106 Tuvalu 9 compare
- 106 Viet Nam 9 compare
- 106 Yemen 9 compare
- 106 South Africa 9 compare
More education data for 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 number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Korea?
- Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Korea was 9 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education recorded in Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 9 in 2004.
- What is the lowest number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education recorded in Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 in 1997.
- How does Korea rank for number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education?
- Korea ranks 106th out of 214 countries with data for 2025.
- Is number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education rising or falling in Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education guaranteed in legal frameworks. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release