Official entrance age to pre-primary education in South Korea
South Korea: Official entrance age to pre-primary education was 3 years in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
3 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
58th
of 223 countries
All-time high
5 years
in 1970
All-time low
3 years
in 2001
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Official entrance age to pre-primary education in South Korea, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 3 years for official entrance age to pre-primary education in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to pre-primary education in South Korea peaked at 5 years in 1970 and was at its lowest, 3 years, in 2001.
That places South Korea 58th out of 223 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.2 years | 3 years | 5 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
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More education data for South Korea
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 69.5% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 10.2% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 100.9% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 173,133 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 0.734 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 100.8% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, male 101.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to pre-primary education in South Korea?
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education in South Korea was 3 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest official entrance age to pre-primary education recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 5 years in 1970.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to pre-primary education recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 3 years in 2001.
- How does South Korea rank for official entrance age to pre-primary education?
- South Korea ranks 58th out of 223 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to pre-primary education rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Official entrance age to pre-primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The official entry age at which children are expected to start pre-primary education according to national legislation or policies.