Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Korea
Korea: Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary was 21,735 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Korea, 2000–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Korea stood at 21,735.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 67.5% on the previous year and down 48.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Korea peaked at 50,659 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 2,965, in 2010.
That places Korea 80th out of 170 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 37,718 | — |
| 2001 | 37,396 | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 42,844 | +14.6% |
| 2003 | 39,015 | -8.9% |
| 2004 | 44,225 | +13.4% |
| 2005 | 26,477 | -40.1% |
| 2006 | 14,282 | -46.1% |
| 2007 | 6,869 | -51.9% |
| 2008 | 23,784 | +246.3% |
| 2009 | 21,425 | -9.9% |
| 2010 | 2,965 | -86.2% |
| 2011 | 15,612 | +426.5% |
| 2012 | 18,378 | +17.7% |
| 2013 | 33,425 | +81.9% |
| 2014 | 41,886 | +25.3% |
| 2015 | 23,595 | -43.7% |
| 2016 | 35,423 | +50.1% |
| 2017 | 50,659 | +43.0% |
| 2018 | 27,050 | -46.6% |
| 2019 | 16,197 | -40.1% |
| 2020 | 34,270 | +111.6% |
| 2021 | 29,444 | -14.1% |
| 2022 | 18,565 | -36.9% |
| 2023 | 12,974 | -30.1% |
| 2024 | 21,735 | +67.5% |
Korea compared with similar countries
- Korea's 21,735 is above the median for high income countries, which is 3,166, 6.9× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Korea's 21,735 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 7,985, 2.7× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | +426.5% | 2,965 | 15,612 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 29,404 | 6,869 | 44,225 | 10 |
| 2010s | 26,519 | 2,965 | 50,659 | 10 |
| 2020s | 23,398 | 12,974 | 34,270 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Korea
- 77 Solomon Islands 24,651 compare
- 78 Belarus 24,106 compare
- 79 Morocco 23,611 compare
- 81 Cape Verde 21,560 compare
- 82 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 20,550 compare
- 83 Comoros 20,312 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 out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Korea?
- Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Korea was 21,735 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 50,659 in 2017.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,965 in 2010.
- How does Korea rank for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary?
- Korea ranks 80th out of 170 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary rising or falling in Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 48.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release