Official entrance age to compulsory education (Official Our World) in South Korea
South Korea: Official entrance age to compulsory education (Official Our World) was 6 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
6
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
21st
of 205 countries
All-time high
6
in 1997
All-time low
6
in 1997
Years of data
29
1997–2025
Official entrance age to compulsory education in South Korea, 1997–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, official entrance age to compulsory education in South Korea stood at 6. That is the highest value across all 29 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to compulsory education in South Korea peaked at 6 in 1997 and was at its lowest, 6, in 1997.
South Korea ranks 21st of 205 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Official entrance age to compulsory education (Official Our World) in South 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 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 6 | +0.0% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 6 is above the median for high income countries, which is 6, 1.0× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 6 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 6, 1.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 3 |
| 2000s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 2010s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 2020s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 21 Albania 6 compare
- 21 Algeria 6 compare
- 21 Andorra 6 compare
- 21 Armenia 6 compare
- 21 Australia 6 compare
- 21 Azerbaijan 6 compare
- 21 Bahrain 6 compare
- 21 Bangladesh 6 compare
- 21 Belarus 6 compare
- 21 Benin 6 compare
- 21 Bosnia and Herzegovina 6 compare
- 21 Brunei 6 compare
- 21 Burkina Faso 6 compare
- 21 Cameroon 6 compare
- 21 Canada 6 compare
- 21 Cape Verde 6 compare
- 21 Central African Republic 6 compare
- 21 Chad 6 compare
- 21 Chile 6 compare
- 21 China 6 compare
- 21 Comoros 6 compare
- 21 Congo 6 compare
- 21 Cote d'Ivoire 6 compare
- 21 Cuba 6 compare
- 21 Democratic Republic of Congo 6 compare
- 21 Denmark 6 compare
- 21 Djibouti 6 compare
- 21 East Timor 6 compare
- 21 Egypt 6 compare
- 21 Eritrea 6 compare
- 21 Eswatini 6 compare
- 21 Finland 6 compare
- 21 Gabon 6 compare
- 21 Georgia 6 compare
- 21 Germany 6 compare
- 21 Guinea-Bissau 6 compare
- 21 Guyana 6 compare
- 21 Haiti 6 compare
- 21 Hong Kong 6 compare
- 21 Iceland 6 compare
- 21 India 6 compare
- 21 Iran 6 compare
- 21 Iraq 6 compare
- 21 Ireland 6 compare
- 21 Italy 6 compare
- 21 Jamaica 6 compare
- 21 Japan 6 compare
- 21 Jordan 6 compare
- 21 Kazakhstan 6 compare
- 21 Kenya 6 compare
- 21 Kiribati 6 compare
- 21 Kuwait 6 compare
- 21 Kyrgyzstan 6 compare
- 21 Laos 6 compare
- 21 Lebanon 6 compare
- 21 Lesotho 6 compare
- 21 Liberia 6 compare
- 21 Libya 6 compare
- 21 Lithuania 6 compare
- 21 Madagascar 6 compare
- 21 Malawi 6 compare
- 21 Malaysia 6 compare
- 21 Mauritania 6 compare
- 21 Micronesia (country) 6 compare
- 21 Moldova 6 compare
- 21 Monaco 6 compare
- 21 Mongolia 6 compare
- 21 Montenegro 6 compare
- 21 Morocco 6 compare
- 21 New Zealand 6 compare
- 21 Nigeria 6 compare
- 21 North Korea 6 compare
- 21 North Macedonia 6 compare
- 21 Norway 6 compare
- 21 Oman 6 compare
- 21 Palau 6 compare
- 21 Palestine 6 compare
- 21 Poland 6 compare
- 21 Portugal 6 compare
- 21 Qatar 6 compare
- 21 Rwanda 6 compare
- 21 San Marino 6 compare
- 21 Sao Tome and Principe 6 compare
- 21 Saudi Arabia 6 compare
- 21 Senegal 6 compare
- 21 Seychelles 6 compare
- 21 Sierra Leone 6 compare
- 21 Singapore 6 compare
- 21 Slovenia 6 compare
- 21 Somalia 6 compare
- 21 South Sudan 6 compare
- 21 Spain 6 compare
- 21 Sudan 6 compare
- 21 Sweden 6 compare
- 21 Syria 6 compare
- 21 Thailand 6 compare
- 21 Togo 6 compare
- 21 Tunisia 6 compare
- 21 Turkey 6 compare
- 21 Turkmenistan 6 compare
- 21 Tuvalu 6 compare
- 21 Uganda 6 compare
- 21 Ukraine 6 compare
- 21 United Arab Emirates 6 compare
- 21 United States 6 compare
- 21 Yemen 6 compare
- 21 Zimbabwe 6 compare
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 official entrance age to compulsory education in South Korea?
- Official entrance age to compulsory education in South Korea was 6 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 6 in 1997.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 in 1997.
- How does South Korea rank for official entrance age to compulsory education?
- South Korea ranks 21st out of 205 countries with data for 2025.
- 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Official entrance age to compulsory education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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