Share of children in primary school age who are in school in South Korea
South Korea: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 99.9% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in South Korea, 1820–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of children in primary school age who are in school in South Korea stood at 99.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in South Korea peaked at 100.0% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
That places South Korea 5th out of 209 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1830s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1840s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1850s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1860s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1870s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 2 |
| 1900s | 1.1% | 0.8% | 1.4% | 2 |
| 1910s | 4.3% | 2.5% | 6.0% | 2 |
| 1920s | 13.9% | 9.3% | 18.4% | 2 |
| 1930s | 29.8% | 27.7% | 31.8% | 2 |
| 1940s | 58.6% | 56.1% | 61.1% | 2 |
| 1950s | 87.7% | 86.9% | 88.5% | 2 |
| 1960s | 89.0% | 85.8% | 92.2% | 2 |
| 1970s | 96.5% | 94.0% | 99.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 98.8% | 97.6% | 99.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 98.7% | 97.1% | 99.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 99.2% | 98.5% | 100.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More education data for South Korea
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in South Korea?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in South Korea was 99.9% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1980.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does South Korea rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- South Korea ranks 5th out of 209 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children in primary school age who are in school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.