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.
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 0.0% | — |
| 1825 | 0.0% | — |
| 1830 | 0.0% | — |
| 1835 | 0.0% | — |
| 1840 | 0.0% | — |
| 1845 | 0.0% | — |
| 1850 | 0.0% | — |
| 1855 | 0.0% | — |
| 1860 | 0.0% | — |
| 1865 | 0.0% | — |
| 1870 | 0.0% | — |
| 1875 | 0.0% | — |
| 1880 | 0.0% | — |
| 1885 | 0.1% | — |
| 1890 | 0.2% | +183.3% |
| 1895 | 0.4% | +117.6% |
| 1900 | 0.8% | +102.7% |
| 1905 | 1.4% | +86.7% |
| 1910 | 2.5% | +79.3% |
| 1915 | 6.0% | +140.2% |
| 1920 | 9.3% | +54.6% |
| 1925 | 18.4% | +98.0% |
| 1930 | 27.7% | +50.2% |
| 1935 | 31.8% | +14.8% |
| 1940 | 56.1% | +76.5% |
| 1945 | 61.1% | +8.9% |
| 1950 | 86.9% | +42.2% |
| 1955 | 88.5% | +1.9% |
| 1960 | 85.8% | -3.1% |
| 1965 | 92.2% | +7.4% |
| 1970 | 94.0% | +2.0% |
| 1975 | 99.0% | +5.3% |
| 1980 | 100.0% | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 97.6% | -2.4% |
| 2001 | 97.8% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 98.0% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 98.8% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 98.6% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 99.3% | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 99.4% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 99.8% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 99.8% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 98.7% | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 99.9% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 99.0% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 98.8% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 97.6% | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 97.1% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 99.8% | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 99.3% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 98.1% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 98.1% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 99.1% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 98.6% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 98.5% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 98.9% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 100.0% | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 99.9% | -0.0% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 99.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 98.2%, 1.0× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 99.9% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 97.4%, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of children in primary school age who are in school in South 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | +183.3% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 1915 | +140.2% | 2.5% | 6.0% |
| 1895 | +117.6% | 0.2% | 0.4% |
| 1900 | +102.7% | 0.4% | 0.8% |
| 1925 | +98.0% | 9.3% | 18.4% |
| 1905 | +86.7% | 0.8% | 1.4% |
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
- 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 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
Share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.