Official entrance age to compulsory education (years) (Official years) in South Korea
South Korea: Official entrance age to compulsory education (years) (Official years) was 6 years in 2019. ▬ Flat
Latest (2019)
6 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
24th
of 195 countries
All-time high
6 years
in 1997
All-time low
6 years
in 1997
Years of data
23
1997–2019
Official entrance age to compulsory education in South Korea, 1997–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for official entrance age to compulsory education in South Korea is 6 years, measured in 2019. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to compulsory education in South Korea peaked at 6 years in 1997 and was at its lowest, 6 years, in 1997.
That places South Korea 24th out of 195 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.
Official entrance age to compulsory education (years) (Official years) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 6 years | — |
| 1998 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 6 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 6 years | +0.0% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 6 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 6 years, 1.0× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 6 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 6 years, 1.0× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 3 |
| 2000s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 24 Albania 6 years compare
- 24 Algeria 6 years compare
- 24 Andorra 6 years compare
- 24 Angola 6 years compare
- 24 Armenia 6 years compare
- 24 Australia 6 years compare
- 24 Bahrain 6 years compare
- 24 Bangladesh 6 years compare
- 24 Belarus 6 years compare
- 24 Belgium 6 years compare
- 24 Benin 6 years compare
- 24 Bosnia and Herzegovina 6 years compare
- 24 Brunei 6 years compare
- 24 Burkina Faso 6 years compare
- 24 Cape Verde 6 years compare
- 24 Cameroon 6 years compare
- 24 Canada 6 years compare
- 24 Central African Republic 6 years compare
- 24 Chad 6 years compare
- 24 Chile 6 years compare
- 24 China 6 years compare
- 24 Comoros 6 years compare
- 24 Democratic Republic of Congo 6 years compare
- 24 Congo 6 years compare
- 24 Cote d'Ivoire 6 years compare
- 24 Cuba 6 years compare
- 24 Czechia 6 years compare
- 24 Denmark 6 years compare
- 24 Djibouti 6 years compare
- 24 Egypt 6 years compare
- 24 Eritrea 6 years compare
- 24 Eswatini 6 years compare
- 24 Finland 6 years compare
- 24 Gabon 6 years compare
- 24 Georgia 6 years compare
- 24 Germany 6 years compare
- 24 Greenland 6 years compare
- 24 Guinea-Bissau 6 years compare
- 24 Guyana 6 years compare
- 24 Haiti 6 years compare
- 24 Hong Kong 6 years compare
- 24 Iceland 6 years compare
- 24 India 6 years compare
- 24 Iran 6 years compare
- 24 Iraq 6 years compare
- 24 Ireland 6 years compare
- 24 Italy 6 years compare
- 24 Jamaica 6 years compare
- 24 Japan 6 years compare
- 24 Jordan 6 years compare
- 24 Kazakhstan 6 years compare
- 24 Kenya 6 years compare
- 24 Kiribati 6 years compare
- 24 North Korea 6 years compare
- 24 Kuwait 6 years compare
- 24 Kyrgyzstan 6 years compare
- 24 Laos 6 years compare
- 24 Lebanon 6 years compare
- 24 Lesotho 6 years compare
- 24 Liberia 6 years compare
- 24 Libya 6 years compare
- 24 Liechtenstein 6 years compare
- 24 Madagascar 6 years compare
- 24 Malawi 6 years compare
- 24 Malaysia 6 years compare
- 24 Maldives 6 years compare
- 24 Mauritania 6 years compare
- 24 Monaco 6 years compare
- 24 Mongolia 6 years compare
- 24 Montenegro 6 years compare
- 24 Morocco 6 years compare
- 24 New Zealand 6 years compare
- 24 Nigeria 6 years compare
- 24 North Macedonia 6 years compare
- 24 Norway 6 years compare
- 24 Oman 6 years compare
- 24 Palau 6 years compare
- 24 Poland 6 years compare
- 24 Portugal 6 years compare
- 24 Qatar 6 years compare
- 24 San Marino 6 years compare
- 24 Sao Tome and Principe 6 years compare
- 24 Saudi Arabia 6 years compare
- 24 Senegal 6 years compare
- 24 Seychelles 6 years compare
- 24 Sierra Leone 6 years compare
- 24 Singapore 6 years compare
- 24 Slovakia 6 years compare
- 24 Slovenia 6 years compare
- 24 South Sudan 6 years compare
- 24 Spain 6 years compare
- 24 Sudan 6 years compare
- 24 Sweden 6 years compare
- 24 Syria 6 years compare
- 24 Thailand 6 years compare
- 24 East Timor 6 years compare
- 24 Togo 6 years compare
- 24 Tunisia 6 years compare
- 24 Turkey 6 years compare
- 24 Turkmenistan 6 years compare
- 24 Tuvalu 6 years compare
- 24 Uganda 6 years compare
- 24 Ukraine 6 years compare
- 24 United Arab Emirates 6 years compare
- 24 United States 6 years compare
- 24 Palestine 6 years compare
- 24 Yemen 6 years compare
- 24 Zimbabwe 6 years compare
More education data for South 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 official entrance age to compulsory education in South Korea?
- Official entrance age to compulsory education in South Korea was 6 years in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 6 years in 1997.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 years in 1997.
- How does South Korea rank for official entrance age to compulsory education?
- South Korea ranks 24th out of 195 countries with data for 2019.
- Is official entrance age to 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 flat.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Official entrance age to compulsory education (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Official age when students should enter compulsory education assuming they start at the official entrance age for the lowest level of education, study full-time throughout and progressed through the system without repeating or skipping a grade. The theoretical entrance age to a given programme or level is typically, but not always, the most common entrance age.