Primary school starting age in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea: Primary school starting age was 7 years in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
7 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 210 countries
All-time high
7 years
in 1998
All-time low
6 years
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025

Primary school starting age in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, 1970–2025

02468197019972025

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.

Analysis

The most recent figure for primary school starting age in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is 7 years, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.

The figure is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, primary school starting age in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea peaked at 7 years in 1998 and was at its lowest, 6 years, in 1970.

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea ranks 1st of 210 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 6 years 6 years 6 years 10
1980s 6 years 6 years 6 years 10
1990s 6.2 years 6 years 7 years 10
2000s 7 years 7 years 7 years 10
2010s 7 years 7 years 7 years 10
2020s 7 years 7 years 7 years 6

Countries ranked near Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

  1. 1 Afghanistan, Islamic Republic of 7 years compare
  2. 1 Bulgaria 7 years compare
  3. 1 Croatia, Republic of 7 years compare
  4. 1 El Salvador 7 years compare
  5. 1 Equatorial Guinea, Republic of 7 years compare
  6. 1 Estonia, Republic of 7 years compare
  7. 1 Ethiopia, The Federal Democratic Republic of 7 years compare
  8. 1 Finland 7 years compare
  9. 1 Gambia, The 7 years compare
  10. 1 Guatemala 7 years compare
  11. 1 Guinea 7 years compare
  12. 1 Hungary 7 years compare
  13. 1 Indonesia 7 years compare
  14. 1 Kyrgyz Republic 7 years compare
  15. 1 Latvia, Republic of 7 years compare
  16. 1 Liechtenstein 7 years compare
  17. 1 Lithuania, Republic of 7 years compare
  18. 1 Mali 7 years compare
  19. 1 Moldova, Republic of 7 years compare
  20. 1 Namibia 7 years compare
  21. 1 Niger 7 years compare
  22. 1 Papua New Guinea 7 years compare
  23. 1 Poland, Republic of 7 years compare
  24. 1 Russian Federation 7 years compare
  25. 1 Serbia, Republic of 7 years compare
  26. 1 South Africa 7 years compare
  27. 1 Sweden 7 years compare
  28. 1 Tajikistan, Republic of 7 years compare
  29. 1 Tanzania, United Republic of 7 years compare
  30. 1 Uzbekistan, Republic of 7 years compare
  31. 1 Zambia 7 years compare

See the full ranking of 210 places →

More education data for Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

All data for Democratic People’s Republic of Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is primary school starting age in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea?
Primary school starting age in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was 7 years in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest primary school starting age recorded in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea?
The highest recorded value was 7 years in 1998.
What is the lowest primary school starting age recorded in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 6 years in 1970.
How does Democratic People’s Republic of Korea rank for primary school starting age?
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea ranks 1st out of 210 countries with data for 2025.
Is primary school starting age rising or falling in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Democratic People’s Republic of Korea data come from?
The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Primary school starting age (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Primary school starting age in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 18 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/primary-school-starting-age-years/korea-dem-people-s-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Primary school starting age (years)
Unit
years
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
210 places, 11,539 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Primary school starting age is the age at which students would enter primary education, assuming they had started at the official entrance age for the lowest level of education, had studied full-time throughout and had progressed through the system without repeating or skipping a grade.