Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number) (school both) in South Korea
South Korea: Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number) (school both) was 3.87 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
3.87 million
Change on year
down 2.6%
World rank
60th
of 197 countries
All-time high
6.11 million
in 2004
All-time low
3.87 million
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in South Korea, 2000–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in South Korea stood at 3.87 million. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 2.6% on the previous year and down 13.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in South Korea peaked at 6.11 million in 2004 and was at its lowest, 3.87 million, in 2024.
That places South Korea 60th out of 197 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.
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number) (school both) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 4.07 million | — |
| 2001 | 4.15 million | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 4.83 million | +16.4% |
| 2003 | 5.48 million | +13.6% |
| 2004 | 6.11 million | +11.4% |
| 2005 | 6.08 million | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 6.02 million | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 5.90 million | -2.0% |
| 2008 | 5.70 million | -3.4% |
| 2009 | 5.48 million | -3.9% |
| 2010 | 5.27 million | -3.9% |
| 2011 | 5.02 million | -4.6% |
| 2012 | 4.79 million | -4.6% |
| 2013 | 4.60 million | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 4.47 million | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 4.30 million | -3.9% |
| 2016 | 4.15 million | -3.5% |
| 2017 | 4.10 million | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 4.10 million | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 4.08 million | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 4.09 million | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 4.10 million | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 4.07 million | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 3.97 million | -2.4% |
| 2024 | 3.87 million | -2.6% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 3.87 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 607,680, 6.4× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 3.87 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 683,910, 5.7× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5.38 million | 4.07 million | 6.11 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.49 million | 4.08 million | 5.27 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.02 million | 3.87 million | 4.10 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 57 Madagascar 4.07 million compare
- 58 North Korea 3.96 million compare
- 59 Zambia 3.94 million compare
- 61 Sri Lanka 3.81 million compare
- 62 Australia 3.64 million compare
- 63 Kazakhstan 3.54 million 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 population of compulsory school age, both sexes in South Korea?
- Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in South Korea was 3.87 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 6.11 million in 2004.
- What is the lowest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.87 million in 2024.
- How does South Korea rank for population of compulsory school age, both sexes?
- South Korea ranks 60th out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is population of compulsory school age, both sexes rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.4%. 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, published as part of Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (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